The Voice of Humanity Healing

Healing Sudan

2009-12-25T17:42:00.004-05:00

Sitting here in mid-December there is really very little sense of the impending arrival of the season of good-will and festive family gatherings. No real sense that Christmas and the secular or pagan or Christian celebrations that huddle around it to usher in the dawn of a new cycle of re-birth are about to commence. Outside, the sun beats down across the sprawled and somnambulant city as it begins to stir and heave itself up, ready to remonstrate bitterly with another day. Khartoum, lost amidst the sweeping stillness of the Sahara, grits its teeth and spits venomously into the sacred waters of the Nile, caring not where the River of Life carries its ill intent.

Vilified, hated and at the same time pitied and loved, the country of Sudan with its heart split asunder, is one of the most medievally appropriate places for the waging of a 21st century nightmare. There is no good-will here. No real sense that celebration of the birth of the prophet Isa has any value or meaning here. At least not collectively...nationally. Isa....Jesus....The Christ: Son of God, Prophet of the Holy Book, lineal descendant of Ahkenaton’s transgressory experiments in religion slaying, and thus God-King of the Aten – seems no more than a footnote to the nation-burning of Biblical proportions that could soon be unleashed here.

Here, in the partitioned southern reaches of once Ancient Egypt, calamity and anger-driven, hate-fuelled Armageddon sometimes seem like no more than a moment away. The government of this country, weakened and sullied by not only the condemnation, outrage and trade sanctions of most of the world’s nations for its interminable warmongering in the former Sultanate of Darfur and the geopolitically obvious state of Southern Sudan, is also buckling under the pressure of the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant for its president; Omar al Bashir. An arrest warrant issued for the crimes against humanity that have been committed in Darfur under his name. A warrant that, of no real consequence or legitimacy within the vast confines of this country, has weighted and fuelled the scramblings for supremacy, and political recognition, of the numerous disenfranchised opposition groups that are waiting to bring down and trample the military dictatorship of Bashir.

The people of Khartoum, no longer willing to collude in the fictional image of a nation or people united, are preparing to create their own new pictures – abstractions of the Sudanese Diaspora for sure; experiments in rhetorical self-identity building definitely. The canvas that is Sudan is about to be painted anew. An image is emerging with a new revolutionary conception. A new way of looking, being and defining what it is to be Sudanese. Or indeed what it is to be something other than Sudanese in a place that is in reality something other than Sudan. Sudan is a misnomer – an artifice created out of the backtracking run-for-the-hills milieu that was left as the British finally gave up this fragment of Empire.

On the streets of Khartoum, amongst my colleagues at work, there is a numb acceptance that things could be, may be, about to get extremely ugly. The Christian minority are making their drab preparations for the Christmas celebrations and the Muslim majority go about their business as usual. The tapestry that is Sudan, despite the best efforts of the Bashir regime to hold it together for their own corrupt ends, is finally unravelling onto the desert floor.

There is no easy way of stopping this impending melt-down. Healing a country, let alone a people, is a task of gargantuan proportions. One of the problems with the concept of and desire for healing is the belief that the process should be a relatively smooth transitional sweep from dysfunctionality through to functionality. Of course sometimes this is the case but in the case of healing Sudan, it is looking to be an increasingly unlikely scenario.

On a micro-level; at the level of the human body for instance as well as on a political/national level, if the problem is relatively minor, the healing process can generally be relatively smooth. The more complex the problem; the deeper-seated it is, the more difficult and potentially painful the unravelling of the various strands of causal factors and reciprocal responses becomes. Sometimes healing is inevitably painful. Sometimes there is just no other way.

When a body or a nation is deeply traumatised, peace or a state of harmony cannot come simply by being bestowed from upon high, nor can it come from trying to avoid a state of war. It cannot come by trying to avoid pain. Sudan is a country that is deeply scarred. It is pathologically traumatised almost to the point of total collapse into insanity. It is sick beyond belief and in desperate need of healing on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Healing Sudan needs an effort of will not only from the external political forces that can be brought to bear by other nations in the form of encouragement, sanction-lifting, peace-keeping forces (and not the UN who are frankly something of a joke in the world-weary streets of Khartoum and the Sudanese provinces) and other political re-aligners, it needs an internal desire for peace as well...for harmony...for healing. Sudan has this desire. It is desperate to heal and become whole. But its focus is entirely fixed on either war or the avoidance of war as the solution. Its focus is negative in the extreme. There is no sense that the nation, or the people and politicians of the nation, are positively focused in any direction whatsoever.

Of course, like illnesses of the body, the path to wellness for a nation must include an acceptance of the need for restoration of the natural order of things and that the way that it is currently functioning is not appropriate and needs correcting. But the focus needs to be in the first instance, one of positivity – a looking to the state of wellness rather than an anger driven hatred of the illness itself.

The solution for Sudan must include not only an acceptance of the need for healing, but also an acceptance of the political causes of its illness. It needs to see its state of political and social dysfunctionality as a positive opportunity to rebuild itself and mould itself into something other than which it currently is. Sudan, like the phoenix, needs to die to be reborn. And like the phoenix, from the ashes of its incineration, the fertile plains can give birth to a new way of being...but the fire of death is a necessary prelude to the germination of such potent seed.

Sudan has the chance to minimise its painful rebirth into separate nation states by accepting the inevitability of restoration of the natural order of things along the lines of geopolitical common sense. This is inevtably going to be a painful process but better the pain of rebirth than the apocalyptic nightmare that Sudan seems hell-bent on descending into. Guns blazing on the streets of Khartoum, littering the pavements with the remnants of bodies blistering in the Saharan sun, is not a solution, is not a part of the needed healing process, but the injecting of a new desease into the body politic. One that yes, may well see the destruction of the old disease of Bashir’s reign of terror but also one that will saddle the war-weary people of Sudan with yet another prelude to some future war.

Many blessings, much metta, salam alikum and Merry Christmas!!

Steve

Kaizen: Stepping Stones for Change

2009-11-08T17:48:00.011-05:00

Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese word which means "the Good Change ". It literally comes from the combination of the words Kai: Change and Zen: Good. Kaizen is a non-judgmental approach on life and in its peculiar transformation phases. It signifies the possibility of change through slow and constant steps, creating powerful quality improvements in one's overall life.

Kaizen is a method where you can create of value for a meaningful life, through rhythm and harmony. Kaizen is about embracing change willingly and with zest; recognizing its goal of Balance and Harmony.
We all recognize the need of changes in every life, and these are not always very easy to do, to accept or to adapt to. Kaizen is a tool. It brings the possibility of making it through transitional periods with a projected map road of change, therefore diminishing the traumatic aspect of the different transformations periods we face during our lifetimes. We have to keep in mind the meaning of planning, setting goals and working constantly towards them.

It is a common belief that the word Crisis in Chinese is composed by the characters ?? meaning at the same time danger and opportunity; or a crucial point of change.

Through every change in life, we can still choose the way to face it, to embrace it and to adapt to it. The outlook of creating meaningful changes can help one overcome the powerful waves of crisis and renovation we all encounter from times to times.

Kaizen in Spirituality

To implement the spiritual changes we are all called to do nowadays, we have to keep a positive outlook. Many will find that these new transitional stages (shifts) are less than comfortable or easy to understand and adapt to. It is important to prepare for change and continue in the process of being open to the many different aspects of it, especially after the period of euphoria that comes after a Spiritual workshop or course. What we typically experience is that enthusiastic plans and goals are normally forgotten within days, until desperation drives you back to do it again and again, such as repeating New Year's resolutions every year.
Life is a voyage of self discovery; where we leave our comfort zone and start exploring the uncharted territory of our own soul. The journey towards balance and harmony with ALL THAT IS never really ends when we see ourselves as part of the big collective Picture of Creation.

The goals of Kaizen can be easily perceived in the 6 Reiki Principals: the constant Improvement and Integration of Mind, Body, and soul.

"Just for Today": Kyo dake wa.
"Don't get angry": Okoru-na
"Don't worry": Sinpai suna
"Be Grateful": Kansha shite.
"Work hard": Gyo o hage me.
"Be kind to others": Hito ni shinsetsu ni.

Kaizen here incites you to keep and hold the energetic frequency of intention, to manifest the constant change we need in our 4 bodies, eliminating lower feeling and repetitive behaviors that do not add to our process of development. Hold the intention for a moment, always in the present moment; keep the focus (when using Kaizen) that all we really have is the Present moment.

The Value of Kaizen in Self Improvement

All of us can benefit from this method as it is vital to modify our small decisions as our poor choices often build on each other to take us off the path. Truthfully, it is particularly helpful since the small decisions which can keep us from improving are not noticeable so we do not routinely work on them, and the decisions which take us forward may not have caught our attention so we do not repeat them.

If you have a lucid picture of the person you want to grow to be, simply ask yourself what choices you made that day that do not draw you towards being that person. The same way, determine the decisions you should make in order to become what you envision to be.

When you draw a clear image, and set your intentions to it (not wishful thinking, but clear intentions), you can break down the change into steps that are more susceptible to be achieved.

Kaizen, Teamwork and the Ripple effect.

Kaizen is also a Japanese work ethic popularly practiced today. It refers to a continuous improvement process that while slow and incremental, is constant like it was stated before.

When applied to Spiritual Activism, the principles of Kaizen correlate to Spiritual Teamwork merging concepts of traditional business skills with a spiritual humanistic approach, inserting quality and depth to the perspective situations; to provide a new ways to manage successfully any challenging situation.

The Core of Kaizen applied to Spiritual Teamwork results in a sense of familial bonds working as a interconnected entity towards actualizing a goal in a peaceful manner in small gradual steps towards making a change.

Both utilize the concepts that situations, when we are open to change and willing to forgive ourselves for our mistakes, will improve over time in ways that can create great long-lasting benefits for all.

The Kaizen concept applies equally well with the principle of the Ripple Effect: merging individuals into Spiritual Teams to enact larger-scale positive changes. We understand Spiritual Activism as peaceful compassionate devoted actions towards ending social inequities throughout the world.

If we choose to enact change willing and take gradual steps in those areas of our lives in which we desire change to take place, we will discover a world that opens more widely to us; embracing us even as we embrace the simplistic concepts behind Kaizen.

We rid ourselves of that which does not work slowly, yet in favor of a life that flows as water; fluid, without blocks or hindrances.

Now is the Only Reality That Exists

2009-06-17T15:29:00.002-04:00

Almost every person on this planet spends most of their life living in a fantasy land of their own making. There are very few people that have even the vaguest idea of what the true reality of their existence is really like. This has been the sad story of an unconscious humanity for the entire span of our tenure on this planet.

We engage with the world every day of course. We have conversations with others that are based in the real world of the here-and-now. We go to work each day and come home each evening and we are largely conscious of this as we do it. We are always involved in some activity in the real world, whether it is sleeping, eating, going to work, visiting friends or relatives, cooking the dinner, going shopping…all of these things are based in the real world of our senses and we are aware of them as we engage in them. So how can it be that we live in a fantasy when our memories and moment-to-moment experience of the world, gives us all the information that we need to prove unequivocally that the world we that we live in is real and solid and indubitably, not a fantasy of any kind?

The reality is that yes, we may well be physically engaging with the world and consciously aware of what we are doing, but we are mostly, not on the whole present or mindful at the moment that we are engaged with that reality. Our engagement tends to be marginal and reliant on an initial and momentary repeat mental-visit as we physically go about whatever activity we are involved in. It is a partial and perfunctory involvement with life.

Whatever we are involved in; we are mostly unconscious of it most of the time. Our minds are on the whole busy with other things and ignorant of the activity that it has propelled the physical body into motion to deal with. Think about what is going through your mind at any moment of the day, regardless of the task you are performing. Possibly you are reminiscing about the lovely romantic meal you had last night whilst you are doing the washing up, or you are thinking about what you are going to do that evening as you get ready for work. Maybe you are thinking about the shopping trip you have to do later as you rush to get the kids ready for school or you are wondering if you made the right decision over that new pair of shoes you bought yesterday as you decide what outfit to wear for the day. Perhaps you are thinking about what you would like for lunch later whilst you complete some task at work or maybe you worry about whether you will get that job you have an interview for tomorrow as you get ready to go to bed. All of these types of thoughts are familiar to all of us and we have them whilst we engage physically with the world in tasks that although they might be triggers for the thought process, are in all other ways, entirely unconnected with the thoughts themselves.

Whatever the subject matter of our thoughts, they are almost always set in the context of the past or the future. We spend most of our lives in this state – looking back to the past at things that were and now are no more, or projecting into the future and looking at things that have yet to exist or may never exist, in the way that we envisage them.

Stop yourself from time to time and watch your thought process and you will see the truth of this. We all do it. We spend our lives in an unconscious state, only peripherally aware of the reality of the world and of the nature of the existence that is going on around us at that moment in time. We are unconscious to the nature of reality for almost the whole of our lives. Only rarely do we stop and fully engage with the moment as it happens, that is, being fully present, not peripherally present. Fully present means engaging the mind and the senses totally in the moment. Being aware of everything in that moment, not partially involved in some past or future experience.

Staying totally present in the moment – being fully and utterly aware of the nature of reality at the moment that it is happening, is no easy feat. The reason for this is that the majority of the time the present reality is pretty mundane or boring. How interesting is it to chop vegetables or to vacuum the carpet? To wash your hair or to iron a shirt? Not much really. Our lives are dominated by mundane things that it is hard to stay consciously focused on at all times. Our minds get used to the mundane nature of the here-and-now and decide to have as little to do with it as possible and go off searching for more interesting things to ponder. There are plenty of other things in the past or the future that are much more worthy of note to our minds way of thinking. In allowing this, we not only abdicate responsibility for our own thought process, we create a situation where it becomes incredibly difficult to stay totally aware of reality as it happens to us. Our minds get up in the morning and do their daily thing of finding something else to think about. To stay present in reality, we need to retrain our minds and bring them back under our control.

Most of us are not taught to reign in the mind and to train it to do our bidding. So how do we start to live in the present moment as it is happening to us? It is not really that difficult; though it can be incredibly dull.

The best way to begin to take back control of your own mind and thus to encourage it to stay present in the moment – in now, is to bring it to bear on whatever activity you are engaged in at the moment. It doesn't matter what it is, simply bring your full weight of consciousness to have an awareness of the activity. If you are digging the garden, notice how the soil feels under the pressure of the spade, smell the earth as it is turned, feel the pressure that you place on the spade. The tensions in your body as you exert the effort to turn the soil. Fell the texture of the spade's handle. Notice the sound of the spade going into the earth and any other sounds that might be around you at the moment: the passing of an aircraft, birds singing, a neighbour in their garden nearby, the sounds of passing cars…try to be totally present and aware of everything that is going on at that precise moment in time. Whatever the activity, we can all make the effort to try to be totally aware of the moment as it happens in this way.

The more that we engage with this type of activity, the more we are able to take back control of our mind and live in the present moment. We can actually start to live the life that is going on around us at the time that it is happening. We start to be fully aware of our lives and can take pleasure in it in a way that we were not previously able too – it becomes richer and fuller and more meaningful and we start to develop a truer understanding of life that had previously eluded us. The advantages of living life as it happens are numerous and profound. Life takes on a quality that we did not know was possible.

If we are engaged in thoughts of the past too much, we live in a world that is not only gone and dead, but conditioned by our own particular perspective on it and so it is not real. If we spend too much time living in the future, we spend our time living in a world that has yet to come – if it comes at all, that will again, be conditioned by our own particular perspective on it and our own conditioned view of the world.

Training the mind to be conscious of the world in the moment can be a long and arduous task, but the rewards are great. But does engaging with this practice give us a true and accurate perspective of the world? Do we start to fully see the world for what it really is? In part yes, but not fully.

Living in the moment allows us to experience the world as it truly is at that precise moment in time, from the perspective of our conditioned understanding and response to the world. It is real and there is no alternative to it – but it is a reality based on our perception of it and how we relate to it and 'read it'. What we are not aware of is a reality that is devoid of conditioned understanding. So even though we may be present in the moment, what we perceive of the world is based on all that we have previously learnt about it. When we pick up a knife to chop vegetables for instance, we bring to that moment, all of our learning and experiences of other knives. We relate to the object through this lens of our own making and so we do not actually have a true experience beyond the conditioning that we gain from our own experiences and from the information given to us by others. So even when we are present in the moment, our perception of reality is distorted by the past.

How for instance, do we see a tree for the first time every time we look at one? When we look at a tree, we bring to that moment, our knowledge, understanding and experiences of all other trees we have ever come across. We believe we have an understanding of that particular tree because of what we bring to it, but in reality we have no idea about that particular tree. To begin a relationship with the world as it truly is, and to see it afresh for the first time every time – to strip away our knowledge and experiences, we need to maintain as often as possible the practice of living in the moment – of not dwelling on the past or the future. In this way, we maintain a real and living relationship with the world and not one that is part fantasy and part peripheral engagement. We can begin to develop the ability to see beyond our conditioning and to see the world as it truly is.

Of course the object of this exercise is not to delete from our minds all of our conditioned responses to the world – these serve us in a multitude of ways and are what we need to help us to function in the world effectively. We do not want to reach a point where we have no concept of what a road or a fast approaching car means as we step off the pavement because we have stripped away our memories of the past and thus the tools we need to survive. The purpose of memory is to help us to survive and live fully in the world – it is not to provide a fantasy release from the drudgery of the moment.

What we do with our mind is key to our happiness. Our minds control our reality. How we relate to every aspect of our reality creates the world around as we perceive it. If we truly want to experience reality, the first step is to begin to train the mind to live in the moment. This is after all, the only place that reality exists.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

Compassion

2009-02-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

Feeling compassion for another being, is one of the most powerful, energetically sublime and spiritually evolved emotional states that we as human beings can experience. Compassion is however greatly misunderstood and often ascribed to feelings and emotions to which it does not rightly belong. Almost every day of everyone's life, moments arise that present us with, to one degree or another, the suffering of another person. They might only be feeling a little under the weather, or they might in fact be going through some life-changing, catastrophic event or the death of a near and dear one. Whatever the scale or seriousness of the situation, all of these things illicit from us, emotional states that are triggered by the emotional state of the other. More often than not however, the feelings that we experience are not compassion at all, but sympathy. There is a very big difference between the two.

Feeling sympathetic towards someone is often the immediate gut-response to seeing someone else suffer. Sympathy however is an emotion that at its core, implies a hierarchical structure, where the sympathetic person sees themselves as somehow better or better off than the person to whom the sympathy is directed. It is entirely devoid of of any real understanding of the nature of the other person's suffering and can often leave the sympathetic onlooker perplexed and at a loss as to what they can do to help. Sympathy is bereft of action.

The trouble with sympathy is that it is entirely outward looking and not generated from a heart of true understanding that we are all equal in our sufferings - though each person's suffering may have a distinct quality all its own. Sympathy is generated from the head. It is the result of logical thinking processes, informed by the heart, but ultimately a product of the mind. It recognises pain, sees within it qualities that it has also experienced and reacts in synchronicity with its own fear or concern over the feelings that this particular suffering generates. Compassion on the other hand is the product of the minds logic working in tandem with the feelings that come from the heart. For this to arise however, sympathy must first give way to empathy.

Compassion is a dynamic, powerful and infinitely sublime motive force that by its very nature changes the perceived reality of the recipient and that of the person generating the compassion, and the two become one, even just for a moment.
(Reiki Jin Kei Do: The Way of Compassion & Wisdom, pp 103)

Like it or not, we all experience moments in our lives when we go through deep pain or trauma. Most of us know how highly charged such emotional states can be and how they can often leave us in a state of total emotional paralysis: not knowing what to do, or where to go, or how to resolve the situation or perceive the prospect of any kind of future happiness. We get locked down into our own personal abyss of moment-by-moment suffering and often the only way out, is with the helping hand of another. These sorts of experiences are the catalyst that help us to mature emotionally and enable us to recognise in others the need for assistance when life is challenging for them. We start to develop the quality of empathy.

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others. To be able to step into their pain and have a true understanding of their suffering; how it feels, where it comes from, what they lack and what they need to become whole again. It is the ability to feel deep inside of their pain and have a profound understanding of it, so much so that our reflective emotional response to it is that it could easily be our own pain that we feel. Empathy much more closely unites the feelings that are derived in the heart through a personal experience of suffering, with the logical understandings of the mind. Empathy however is still of little value in aiding someone who is in need of help. There is no part of an empathetic response that involves action, or any sort of meaningful solution to the other persons problem. Empathy is however a necessary precursor to the development of compassion.

Compassion must not be misunderstood as simply a heightened state of sympathy. This is critical as generally, it does indeed seem to be defined in this way. Compassion is active, sympathy is not. Compassion does not sit there in the heart or mind and simply project feelings of goodness towards the suffering person in a limp-wristed way. At its core, compassion is active and forceful and dynamic and weds the sympathetic mind of understanding, with the empathetic heart of feeling so that right action can be taken. Real compassion involves the recognition that we are duty-bound to do something to ease the suffering of the other person if it is within our means. Compassion however, cannot rightly exist without being informed by wisdom, and wisdom is the product of the mind and the heart working in unison. Whereas compassion is the active force of the heart that draws on the logical and experiential processes of the mind, wisdom is the logic and experiences of the mind drawing on the emotional understandings of the heart. There is a yin-yang relationship at work here - each requires the other to give it meaning and purpose, and indeed existence.

Sometimes we have no choice over whether to take action or not. We may see some terrible tragedy on TV or in the newspapers and feel deep compassion for those involved, but are helpless to do anything about it, other than send our good wishes, prayers, energy etc. If this is the most that we can do, then we should be satisfied that we did this as the effort is not wasted. There are other times where we are indeed able to take specfic action but may choose not too and instead leave the person who is suffering to experience their pain. There are often good reasons for doing so.

All pain, whatever its nature, is ultimately there to teach us something - it has no other purpose. We are required by the life plan that we have chosen to take the pain that meets us on our way through life and experience it to its fullest, and hopefully learn whatever it is that we need to learn from it. Sometimes, the pain can exist simply to push us in another direction because we have got stuck in an old pattern that we have become reluctant to shift. It is at times like these, that the helping hand of another is not always a good thing. It may seem so at the time as the immediate problem is alleviated, but actually, such misplaced help can often lead to a more painful experience further down the road as the lesson has not been learnt. The recognition of whether to aid someone or not is only possible with the help of wisdom. Wisdom however is not discriminatory, and recognises pain and suffering and the need for equable poise, regardless of who the suffering person is or their particular ciricumstances.

Of course, it is quite easy to offer assistance and love to someone that we hold dear or who has perhaps in the past helped us out of a difficult period of our lives. But the true spirit of compassion requires of us that we show kindness and offer our help towards all people, even those that we are indifferent to or might in fact not like very much because of some past hurt that they have inflicted upon us. To offer an unconditional expression of compassion in this way is one of the hardest challenges to face us in life. To realize true freedom and a full expression of the heart however, it is a path that we must take. It is the path of the Bodhisattva. To take this path, firstly we need a correctly orientated view of our own state of suffering and a much more equanimous view of the world around us.

It is easy to see suffering and injustice in the world and want to do something to change this state of affairs. However, the real problem; the place where the fixing needs to happen first, is inside of ourselves. It is our perception of the world and the way that we relate to the problems of the world and the suffering of others that should be the initial focus of our compassion and our efforts to bring healing and harmony. Once we work on ourselves and realize that we too have problems and are in need of compassion, that we too are not always in the right and can make mistakes, and that we need to forgive our ourselves and see ourselves as the rightful recipients of love and understanding, then we can truly begin to empathize with the suffering of others. In this spirit of true understanding, we can then offer active compassion in a way that will not only relieve the person's suffering but also promote a sense of wellbeing and happiness. We bring the wisdom of the mind, forged in the furnace of reflective experience, to bear on the heart-felt desire to do something to ease anothers pain.

Ultimately, we simply have to let go of the emotions that we feel and just be compassion. Compassion, whilst triggered by our own emotional states, needs to take on the quality of equinimity if it is to offer real solutions to the problems that exist in the world, whether on an individual or global level. We need to be able to step back from an emotion-driven response and allow wisdom to permeate our desire to take action and express our compassion. Once we can do this, as a result of our deep engagement with a self-focus on love and understanding, then what we have to offer to others, is not hampered by or coloured by our emotional state and thus there is a greater chance that it has the quality of right action.

Compassion in its fullest sense is indeed about taking action. It is about doing something of value in the world to alleviate the suffering of other beings. But it is a doing that arises out of a correct perception of the nature of reality, our place within it and that of the recipient(s) of our compassionate action. This perception is not arrived at easily and overnight; it is a (re-) learned response to the world that has at its core a commitment and a drive to develop ourselves spiritually and emotionally.

The development of compassion is not simply a bolt-on to the process of our pyschological and emotional maturing. It is one of the fundamental reasons we incarnated here in the first place. The process of allowing the conditions for the arising of unconditional love and compassion for all beings is one that is filled ultimately, with joy. Although we may face many challenges and many dilemmas as our awareness and sense of purpose increase, ultimately compassion and the process of developing compassion, is the key that will release us from the prison of our own mental and emotional dysfunctions.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

Islam's Gandhi - Part Two

2009-02-15T07:00:00.010-05:00

During some recent research on Ustadh Mahmoud and his teachings, I came across this archive footage of the Republican Brotherhood from the 1970's and 1980's. The Republican Brotherhood is the name given to the former Republican Party in later years by Ustadh Mahmoud, to reflect its much more spiritual inclinations as opposed to its previously predominant political orientation.

I hope that these give you a better understanding and feel for the times and culture in which Ustadh Mahmoud and his followers operated.

Blessings, much metta and salam alikum,

Steve

Islam's Gandhi - Part One

2009-02-13T09:10:00.001-05:00

Over the coming months, 'The Voice of Humanity Healing' will be featuring a series of short articles and pictures, put together as a part of my ongoing research for my new book 'Islam's Gandhi' about the life and teachings of the Sudanese mystic Mahmoud Mohamed Taha. Certainly most of the pictures that you will see here, will not make it into the book and so this series will be presenting you with exclusive material that I hope will enrich your enjoyment of the final text when it is finally published.

Salam alikum,

Steve

Mahmoud Mohamed Taha - His life - Part One

Executed in January 1985 for crimes against Islam, Mahmoud Mohamed Taha was without a doubt, possibly one of Islam's leading modern heroes. Like his Indian near-contemporary, Mahatma Gandhi, Taha was a key figure in the fight for the independence of his homeland from British-Egyptian rule.

Born around 1909 in the town of Rufa'h on the east bank of the Blue Nile in central Sudan, Taha or 'Ustadh' Mahmoud (Revered Teacher) as he became known, came from a simple farming background. Rufa'h was then, as much as it is today a quiet and sleepy backwater. Nothing much happens there and people live out their lives in relative contentment, secure within a supportive and unhurried community. It was within the security of this environment that Ustadh Mahmoud spent his formative years.

Briefly moving to the village of Al Higailieg with their father following the death of their mother in 1915, Ustadh Mahmoud and his three siblings returned to Rufa'h n 1920. Their father had also passed away that year and had left the care of his children to their aunt. She allowed them to continue with their formal education, but it was only Ustadh Mahmoud who was to succeed within the rigorous and highly competitive educational system of the time. He went on to attend Gordon Memorial College (now the University of Khartoum) and in 1936, graduated from the school of engineering. He quickly secured employment with Sudan Railways, but this did not last for long and in 1941, he resigned and established his own private practice as an engineer.

It was during this period, from the late 1930's onwards that Ustadh Mahmoud took an active role within the burgeoning Nationalist struggle for independence from British-Egyptian rule. Dissatisfaction with the way that the struggle was being directed quickly set in however. The political parties that were vying for control of the country were compromising their ideals on full independence and succumbing to the divisive tactics of the colonial powers in an effort to secure favour. The educated elite were offering their support to the traditional religious leaders who commanded widespread support within the country at that time. For Ustadh Mahmoud, none of the available options seemed to offer much hope for the future of his country.

Along with others who similarly felt a deep sense of betrayal by those whose motivation seemed to be based on their own vested interest, whether political or religious, Ustadh Mahmoud established the Republican Party in October of 1945. The Republican's earliest publications began to set out their agenda for the establishment of a secular State, based upon a modernist understanding and orientation to traditional Islamic teachings.

By 1946, Ustadh Mahmoud and some of his colleagues had been sentenced to prison by the colonial administration for refusing to abstain from political activity. The Party's policy of open confrontation and political agitation had begun to threaten the political stability of the British-Egyptian authorities. Ustadh received a one year sentence but due to the vociferous and mounting pressure from the Republican's and their followers, a pardon was issued by the British Governor-General and Ustadh Mahmoud was released, having served only fifty days. Later that year however, he was again arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for his role in what became known as the Rufa'h Incident.

During that year, the government had outlawed the practice of Pharoanic circumcision - a practice that involved the removal of all of the external female genital organs. Although entirely in accord with the spirit of the new law and actively promoting an end to such abhorrent practices, the Republicans argued that legal interventions of this kind were extremely counterproductive and would only serve to drive the practice underground. Instead they argued for better education and an improvement in the general health and welfare conditions for Sudanese women. The opposed positions on the issue came to a head in Rufa'h when in an effort to mobilise public opinion against the colonial powers, the Republicans took up the case of a woman under threat of prosecution for subjecting her own daughter to the prohibited practice. Although the subsequent protest, lead by Ustadh Mahmoud lead to the immediate release of the accused woman, he quickly found himself under arrest along with other leaders of the Republican Party. Several thousand men had crossed the Blue Nile after Friday prayers into Hassaheissa - the administrative centre of the district to call for the woman's immediate release. Ustadh Mahmoud's arrest and incarceration over this incident proved to be a pivotal moment, not only for him and the Republican Party, but for also for the evolution of understanding of Islam.

Ustadh Mahmoud used his time in prison to undertake an intensive programme of prayer, fasting and meditation. Upon his release he committed to a further three years of self-imposed seclusion - known as a 'Khalwah'. Sometime later, in reference to this period, he said "When I settled in prison I began to realize that I was brought there by my Lord and thence I started my Khalwah with Him". Ultimately his five year programme of focused religious practice aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the message of God as laid out in the Qur'an, lead Ustadh Mahmoud to formulate what he called 'The Second Message of Islam'. Based on the insights that he gained into the Qur'an and the role of Islamic Law during the Khalwah, The Second Message articulated a new vision for the Islamic world. A vision in which the essential truths of the Qur'an and thus God's word, could be made not only relevant to a time and culture far removed from the one in which the Qur'an was laid down, but much more in line with the essential doctrines and expectations resulting from a true and full engagement with the word of God.

As a devout Muslim, Ustadh Mahmoud believed that all God-given revelations had ended with the Prophet Mohamed but none-the-less, he claimed that his vision and subsequent teachings on the future direction of Islam were God-given. In support of this he cited verse 282 of the second Sura of the Qur'an which states that 'God teaches the one who is pious and fearful of God'. He also cited the Sunnah (the examples of the Prophet) which states that the person who acts in accordance with what he or she knows, shall be granted by God knowledge of that which he or she does not know. It is this allusion to hidden or mystic teachings that is often used by the great Sufi masters in defence of their practices and orientations to Islam and that set them apart from the non-mystical teachings and interpretations of others. It was Ustadh's firm belief that through dedicated study and contemplative prayer and meditation, the believer can receive direct and unmediated enlightened understanding of the Word of God as revealed to the Prophet Mohamed.

In October 1951, Following Ustadh Mahmoud's period of religious seclusion and the dissemination of his new and comprehensive vision for the future of Islam, The Republican Party went through a major transformation from a political party into an organization dedicated to the propagation of Ustadh's spiritual teachings. Those members who wished to continue in a more politically active role broke away and joined other parties, whilst the Republicans, under the direct leadership of Ustadh began a campaign of spreading the The Second Message of Islam to the Sudanese public. This transformative process however did not preclude the Republicans from continuing their support for and dissemination of their deeply held convictions on a political front. The organisation simply re-orientated its principle focus, so that its view of the political landscape became inherently much more spiritual.

After a brief period working for the Water and Electricity Company in Khartoum, Ustadh resumed his private practice as an engineer. Initially continuing to spread his teachings through an ongoing programme of public lectures and newspaper articles, in 1955 he published a book entitled 'Usus Dustour As-Soudan' which set out an agenda for a new Sudanese constitution, which called for a presidential, federal, democratic and socialist Republic that contained at its heart a pacifist and inclusive agenda derived from his understandings of man's relationship to the Divine. Any attempt to impose laws derived from Islamic Sharia were anathema to him, seeing this as divisive and inviting distrust and animosity from the non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese.

In 1956, following the declaration of Independence on January 1st of that year, a committee was set up to begin the process of writing a new constitution for the country. Ustadh Mahmoud took his place on the committee as the representative for the Republican Party. After only a few months, frustrated and dissatisfied with the corrupt agendas of some of the representatives, Ustadh Mahmoud resigned his seat and cited interference from the executive authority as the reason. Ultimately the committee presented their findings and recommendations for a new constitution that were largely based on Sharia Law as demanded by the traditional sectarian religious parties.

In November of 1958 however, just prior to the adoption of the constitutional recommendations requested by the committee, a bloodless military coup seized power and all political parties, including the Republican Party were dissolved. Ustadh Mahmoud, not wishing to relinquish his vision of a new Sudan, seized the opportunity and wrote to the head of the new regime; General Abboud requesting that he implement the proposals of the Republicans for a socialist, democratic and federal government. He included with his letter, a copy of his book about the constitution. Although Ustadh Mahmoud's recommendations were dismissed out of hand, he continued to lecture publicly and spread his conception of the new Sudanese Republic and the role of Islam within society to all that would listen. His ideas however were intolerable to the closed minds of the religious traditionalists, who became more and more vociferous in their opposition to the Republican agenda.

After the dismissal of three students from the Islamic Institute of Omdurman for propagating the ideas of Ustadh Mahmoud, a ban was implemented prohibiting Ustadh and his followers from holding public lectures and denying them access to all the media. Restricted in this way the members of the movement went largely underground and confined their activities to the private homes of members and of sympathetic friends.

With the return of multi-party parliamentary government, the Republican Party was revived and once more continued with their programme of spreading the teachings of The Second Message of Islam through public lectures, newspaper articles and books. In 1966-67, Ustadh Mahmoud published three of his most important works: 'Tarieq Mohammed' ('Mohammed's Path'), 'Risalat Assalat' ('The Message of Prayer') and 'Arrisala Atthaniya min Al-Islam' ('The Second Message of Islam'). Two further books published in 1967 set out his proposal for direct talks to establish a peaceful co-existence between the Arab States and Israel. Ustadh Mahmoud was fundamentally opposed to the sort of Arab Nationalism as put forward by Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser as well as what he perceived as the primitive and anti-humanitarian applications of Islam being instituted in Saudi Arabia and promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood in other Arab states. Ustadh Mahmoud was certainly not averse to standing his ground and taking on the rest of the Muslim world in an effort to educate and enlighten others about what he perceived to be the true message of Islam.

In 1968, Ustadh Mahmoud's vocal opposition to the established Islamic order lead once more to his arrest. This time he had been accused by two Islamic University teachers of committing the crime of 'Ridda' or apostasy; a crime punishable by death. Ustadh invoked his constitutional right of freedom of thought and expression and refused to appear before the court. The accusations were investigated in his absence by the Khartoum Sharia (Islamic Rules) High Court. It is not currently clear as to the decision of the court, or whether the legal proceedings were in anyway interrupted by the military coup by the Free Officers Movement, lead by Jaafar an Nimeiri on May 25th 1969. Ustadh however lived and went on to continue his lecturing and public speaking for a little while longer. One of the first acts of the new regime however was to abolish all government institutions and to ban all political parties, including the Republican Party and so once again, the Republicans found themselves politically isolated and having to continue their activities underground.

This is the first part of the research and notes that I have prepared for 'Islam's Gandhi'. Further research notes will continue to be published here as the book takes shape. I am in discussion about this project with Ustadh Mahmoud's family and in time would hope to include here some of the interviews that I intend to undertake. A trip to Ustadh Mahmoud's home town of Rufa'h will also hopefully take place soon and I shall publish here any pictures of that visit along with new information as it is gathered. Please note however that this series of articles represents my working methods in the preparation of the manuscript for the book, and thus the series of articles may not necessarily follow a chronolgical order. I hope that you have found this initial introduction to the life of Ustadh Mahmoud Mohamed Taha - Islam's Gandhi - to be of some interest.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

The Supreme Ultimate

2009-01-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

Emblazoned across the backs of Young Guns leather jackets, melting into the amorphous realms of the Third Eye, adorning the walls of hippie student's dormitory walls, sparkling on the end of a silver earing as the sun catches it's twirling motion. The Supreme Ultimate, the Yin Yang (as it is known in the West) has become the universal symbol of something beyond, something destabilising, a call to arms to begin the revolution of the mind and a badge of one's commitment to all and anything that is not the way it is now. It's a trinket, an adornment, a puzzle and a revelation. It is a finger up to the establishment and a gateway to the realm of the Gods. A pattern, a badge, a symbol of power...whatever you want it to be, the Supreme Ultimate is it.

Whether we are familiar with the meanings, the origins and the uses of this archetypal, universal symbolic form, we all know it. We have all seen it countless times. It seems to have seeped into the consciousness, subconsciousness and meta-consciouness of the West and thus of the world. Owned by none, claimed by many, it is, according to the ancient Chinese sages, the physical manifestation of the concept of the ethereal omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence of all that is.

The Supreme Ultimate is a deeply provocative act of revolutionising consciousness and has its physical and thus conscious origins within the realization of opposing forces. Essentially, the symbol is a representation of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things and how one gives rise to the other. In classical Chinese thought, all natural dualities are cast in terms of yin and yang: male and female, light and dark, good and bad, full and empty....all of these things are reliant for their existence on their opposite. There cannot be light without darkness, there cannot be male without female, there cannot be good without bad..there is an intrinsic interdependence of one on the other - and each gives rise to the other. As the sun climbs in the sky, as it reaches its zenith, there is within it, the seed of the coming night and slowly but surely it gives way to darkness, which in turn carries within it the seed of the coming day. It is a continuous motion of one leading to the other. The symbol is indeed designed to give the impression of movement.

The two aspects of the Yin Yang symbol constantly interact and never exist in a state of stasis. The outer circle of the symbol represents the whole, whilst the black and white sections represent aspects of the whole, and within each we can see the seed and the coming birth of the other aspect - its opposite. The Yin apsect of the symbol is the dark area and is characterised in terms of the feminine: slow, soft, cold, wet, tranquil and pliant, whilst the Yang aspect; the white section is characterised as male: hard, fast, dry, hot, aggressive and rigid. The white aspect rises on the left, whilst the dark aspect descends on the right.

The concepts of Yin and Yang are the fundamental principles behind all of the traditional Chinese martial systems - whether they be active or passive. In each we see the principles of passivity and pliancy in a constant dance of submission and assertion with the principles of activity and resistance; and all to astonishing effect. The Chinese martial arts, whilst being some of the most complete and boundlessly destructive methods of combat known to man, have within them the submissive grace of a debutante. They are the perfect encapsulation of the principles of yin and yang and thus express and live out in microcosm, the concepts of the Supreme Ultimate. Yet the Supreme Ultimate is empty as well as full. It is devoid of anything and expresses nothing at the same time that it expresses all and is full of everything that there is in existence. It is beyond expression and definition. Full amd empty are mutually counteractive concepts - but they express the duallity of existence. This duality is contained within the emptiness of the Supreme Ultimate.

The outer circle of the symbol - the whole - is the One. It is all that is and ever was and is greater and smaller than any other concept or theoretical construct known to man. Macrocosm and microcosm. The One gives rise to the two and thus opposition as well as harmonious co-existence. In the martial arts, we see this constant interplay and arising and falling of opposing forces, each containing the acceptance and potential of the ensuing form as it progresses. But more than this, the mind, the being that gives rise to and commands the arising and diminishing of these forces for the form and the art to be successful, must strive to become the outer circle of the symbol. He or she must become empty and full at the same time: ready to be placid and pliant, ready to be aggressive and submissive, ready to concede and grasp everything - to be empty and full at the same time is to have a deep knowing of the nature of the Universe beyond this Universe. To be still and concede that the arising of one or other of the aspects known as Yin or Yang can be called upon and infuse one's being at will.If you have ever studied Tai Chi and are familiar with the practice of 'Pushing Hands' you will understand the ideas, expressed through the Supreme Ultimate of rising and falling, pushing forward and giving way in an endless series of pliant, yet strong hand and arm movements. This basic Tai Chi exercise has much in common with the passage of our lives as we go from day to day. So how does the Yin Yang symbol relate to our everyday lives and how can we use the concepts behind it to help us move through life in a more peaceful and conscious way?

Our day to day existence is full of choices and decisions. Some of these are significant, some are not - or appear not to be, but all, in their own way have profound impacts on us - for our long term health and sense of wellbeing and for our spiritual growth. Even something as seemingly insignificant as our feeling in the morning when we rise and see that it is raining outside is a decision that we make, based on the principles of Yin and Yang. Regardless of the external conditions - the rain - we have the abillity to chose how we feel about it. We can be happy because it will water our garden or because we just like walking in it, or we can be miserable, because it is yet another wet, cold and unpleasant day. The rain is just the rain and expressing it's nature, but we are entirely in control of our feelings towards it and as a consequence of that decision, our feelings and mood may be coloured for the rest of that day. In becoming the emptiness of the Supreme Ultimate - embodying and realising the Oneness within our being, it is necessary to simply let the rain be. To not allow the arising of any thoughts as to our feelings towards it - whether we would think of them as positive or negative.

We might rightly say that it is a good thing for us to feel positive about the fact that it is raining, or our boss is not going to give us the promotion that we wanted, or that our car won't start today...or any of the plethora of events that happen to us throughout our days and our lives. Of course, having a positive approach to these things is eminently more desireable than a negative view, but if we wish to really see the world as it is, it is necessary to move beyond the duality of this or that, right and wrong, positive and negative. Each time that we raise a thought of any kind, we colour the world with the imprint of our minds. The consequence of this is that we never actually get to see or experience the world as it truly is.

When we are presented with a chair and asked "What is it that you see?" We answer "A chair" - but we only know it as a chair because of all our other experiences of chairs. We know what it is for, we know if it is comfortable, we know how to use it, we know if it is aesthetically pleasing...we know much about it because we have a data bank of knowledge on the subject of chairs. What we do not see is what it actually is that we are being presented with; stripped away of the clutter of thoughts and processes that we impose upon it. Try to see anything in the world around you, devoid of your own preconditioning - it is almost impossible.

But if we want to find true peace for ourselves, if we want to find the way to a life of bliss, we really do at some point need to not only realise the emptiness of the Supreme Ultimate within ourselves as more than a theoretical and spiritual construct, we must become the Supreme Ultimate. We must empty ourselves and simply accept the world as it is - see it as it is - experience it as it is and have an understanding and control of the nature of our potential to express duality in which ever way we chose. We live in a dual world, governed by the laws of duallity, and while we exist here on this earthly plane, we have no choice but to move through it in a dualistic fashion - choosing this or that, black or white, up or down but we need to do it from the space of emptiness that is the outer circle - the Oneness of creation. And we need to do it in the full knowledge that whatever choice we make, it has within it the seed of it's opposite that will also one day come to fruition.

As we watch the pendulum of our lives, we must see that it is riven with constant swings backwards and forwards between events, circumstances, emotions that we can characterise as positive or negative. It is all very complex and there are many interwoven strands and threads that mitigate against us being able to label one aspect of our lives as totally positive or negative, but in broad terms, we are all aware of the constant movement back and forth between one extreme and another. If we want to stop this swing for good instead of resting in the illusory space of the good times that will inevitably come to an end, then we must focus on the emptiness of existence. We must try to bring to our minds the understanding and feeling and knowing of being, in fact, the Supreme Ultimate given birth within the illusory world of duality.

Metta and many blessings,

Steve

Manifesting your Dreams

2009-01-24T17:25:00.001-05:00

We all have ambitions in life. We all have desires and aspirations for our futures. We all want to reach out for the stars and grasp that which we believe we are capable of. We all want something more than we have right now. It is a part of the human condition, and a wonderful part of it at that. It is actually a blessing: our desire for more than we are given when we are born. Our sense of wanting to be and to have and to feel more than we are gifted with at the moment of our birth.

Of course there are those who reading this, will say "I am happy and content with what and who I am right now", but this condition is not arrived at easily for most of us. Even those who can honestly proclaim such a beneficent state, possibly had to strive for it in some way in the past, or come to an internal and personal acceptance of this state at some stage in their lives. Very few of us are born with an innate sense of acceptance and joy at the process of our lives as it unfolds. Most of us yearn for some sort of change or improvement. This is how it should be and it is one of the reasons why we came into the world: to be and do and feel more; to strive to be all that we can be and to achieve our highest potential.

This desire springs out of a dissatisfaction with the way that things are right now. We are all prone to this, whatever the state or condition of our lives. The richest and the poorest, the ill and the healthy, the wise and the unwise, all want something that is not currently within their life experience. Ultimately, the motivating force is the perception of the lack of happiness that we have or the expectation that in gaining that which we desire, our happiness will increase or improve or indeed replace the sadness or misery that is now our lot. It is a worthy goal and one that we should not under any circumstances relinquish. Of course, the achieving of happiness is not ultimately predicated on the gaining of things and external conditions. The realisation of this truth however, is one that we need to discover for ourselves - it is a part of the spiritual path of increasing self-consciousness.

Regardless of this, there is nothing wrong whatsoever in aiming high and trying to gain the summit of your personal ambition. Whether it is the achieving of a desired for relationship, or the gaining of a better job, or the striving to be free of the restraints that a society, culture, family or other external force places upon us. Having an ambition, a goal is a worthy thing to have. The desire for happiness however that these things ultimately do not bring, will and must go on; propelling us to the next goal, the next achievement, the next great success.

Maintaining a sense that we can achieve our potential and gain that which we do not currently have is often not easy however. It depends in part on how far or high we are aiming and whether or not we have a strong enough internal belief system to keep us going when the going gets tough. Faith in our ability to achieve our potential or a commitment to keep going in the right direction is fundamental to success. A half hearted or limp wristed approach is destined for failure. Certainly, never allow others to steal your dreams. Whatever it is that you aspire too, however high the mountain is, whatever it is that you need to do to manifest your new reality, the very worst thing you can do is to give up because of the low expectations of others due to their commitment to a life that is less than it could be. Never let those who expect little from life, project their negativity or their lack of motivation on to you. The result will be that you will abandon all that you hold dear and accept less than you are capable of.

So what is the secret of success? How do ordinary men and women turn misfortune or poverty into great personal and professional achievements? There is one golden key and that is to have faith in yourself. To believe and know 100% that what you aspire too, is achievable - that you can do it. Being positive is not enough. Simply believing is not enough. These are great things and a part of the recipe of success, but to achieve the big goals, something more is needed. To get right to the top of your personal mountain, there is a need to know, deep inside of you, that you CAN make it. Don't believe it, KNOW it.

Those that push to the greatest successes in life - whatever they may be are the one's that absolutely refuse to contemplate failure. They are the ones that, through all of the obstacles, just keep going. Those that do not give up in the face of what appear to be insurmountable odds. When everyone else would abandon their dreams and resign themselves to the belief that they gave it a shot, but it was out of their reach, those that are relentless in their pursuit of their goal stand an excellent chance of achieving it. It doesn't matter what the goal is. Everything is possible. Everything can be achieved. Whatever it is that you want to do with your life, if you are determined enough and willing to put everything on the line to achieve it, then you most certainly can gain that which others gave up on long ago.

It is all down to your attitude. It is all down to your belief in yourself. You can do and have anything that you set your heart on. Just don't give up! Never give up! Keep going until you get what you want. But be flexible! Circumstances can change and a goal can become inappropriate. This can often happen. Allow life to take you in its current and be open to new possibilities, but keep pushing forward. Don't give up on your drive for success.

Goals can and do often change along the way. There is nothing wrong with this and shifting your focus is not a mark of failure...it is a celebration of the fact that you are not limiting yourself in anyway. It is an exultation of your ability to bend like the reed in the stream, to the possibilities and currents of life. The point is to just keep moving forward. Going in the right direction. Refocusing and reassessing and moving with life to where you want to be. We cannot always predict at the outset what the problems might be that we will encounter on our journey. The answer is simple: just stay flexible, and deal with whatever life throws up as you go.

All of this striving however, as I have said is ultimately not going to bring you lasting happiness. Let's not live under any illusion about this. Happiness is an internal state and not dictated by external forces. Happiness is a state of mind. Happiness can exist under any circumstances. Happiness is predicated on the right internal conditions, not on external ones. Happiness and not angst, or sadness or misery or emotional pain can be achieved with a simple change of mind. Just chose to be happy and you are. It would appear to be very simple, but if it were, we would not spend our lives in pursuit of external things. We would all simply chose happiness in whatever circumstances we find ourselves and give up all other external efforts, as what would be the point in striving anymore?

Striving is however a necessary part of being human. It is what brings joy to our day, gets us motivated in the morning, allows us to dream and to plan and to hope. It is what makes life rich and filled with possibilities. Aiming for our goals is just as much a part of the spiritual journey as engaging in meditation or mantra practice or chakra work or...you name it...these are all just different facets of the human condition, and every single thing that we do in life is a part of the journey to enlightenment or union with God. It is just another part of the tapestry of our lives.

Don't give up, don't fall at the first hurdle, don't let others put you off. Just keep striving, overcome everything that stands in your way and push forward in life. Eventually, you will succeed like you could never have dreamed.

Blessings and metta,

Steve

The Icarus Syndrome (or Don’t Forget What Your Wings Are For)

2008-10-05T16:11:00.015-04:00

Do you remember the story of Icarus in Greek mythology? Daedalus was the great engineer who had designed the Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete to house the Minotaur. He was moved by the love of the Princess Ariadne for Theseus and gave her the secret of the Labyrinth so that Theseus could survive. Enraged, King Minos had Daedalus and his son Icarus imprisoned in a tower. In secret, Daedalus fashioned wings by attaching bird feathers to a frame with wax. They donned the wings and were able to escape the tower and start the long flight back to their homeland. Icarus soon reveled in the glory of his new wings and the power they gave him. Daedalus cried out to his son that the wings were built for a higher purpose than his self-satisfaction. Icarus ignored the teachings of his father and lost in his own ego; flew up to Apollo thinking his wings made him the equal of the Gods. He had forgotten that his wings had a purpose and that his ability to fly was a gift of the Gods. Apollo noticed Icarus as he approached the Sun God’s fiery chariot. The Gods are not merciful with hubris. Scornful of his termidity, Apollo allowed the heat to melt the wax that held the feathers in place on the wings and Icarus plunged to his doom. With tears flowing, Daedalus searched in vain for his son, but all that was left were a few feathers drifting on the ocean’s swells.

The story was told to teach that the Gods did not tolerate excessive pride.

What has happened to real Lightworking? Someone tried to give me a compliment the other day by saying they really respected what we were doing and that I was a great “Lightworker”. I thought about how that term was being bandied about these days and thanked them, but said I didn’t consider myself one – at least not in the modern sense.

Plato had it right when he wrote in his great work, The Republic, about Lightworkers and Wayshowers. These were individuals who helped raise the human condition. They did this by not only sharing healing through compassion, but by living their lives as an example for others. The life of a Way-shower was one of service to others.

Somehow the old definition of “Lightworking” has been left by the wayside and is being redefined from one of service to one of self-service. You hear and read it everywhere: “I am working on my own ascension”; “I am Star-Seed”; I am an Indigo”; “I am restructuring my DNA”; “I am released from Fear”; “I am a Teacher of the Light”; “I channel Higher Beings”; “I am this”, “I am that”, “I”, “I”, “I"...

Since when did just being a regular person doing your best or listening to your own higher self became less meritable?

It seems like everyone is riding the Ascension Merry-Go-Round and that if you can grab the brass ring, you win and can consider yourself “enlightened”.

Rubbish.

Carolyn Myss said it best when she wrote the ultimate purpose of the soul is service to others, not self service. We are ALL spiritual beings having a human experience. That is why we are here.

I think of what is happening in places within the Lightworking community as The Icarus Syndrome. There is too much pride. There is too much ego. I know this will anger many, but I believe there is too much fantasy. Lightworking is not some big role playing game – a New Age Dungeons and Dragons type of thing that you can get together with friends and do for fun on a rainy afternoon.

Most of all, Lightworking is not about “I”. It is about “Us”.

There are individuals that are given Gifts of the Spirit. There are individuals that are given Abilities beyond the norm. There are individuals who are called on to be the Vehicle through which knowledge is passed. We all have our own gifts and virtues. Each of us is special in a different way. It is not a big deal. We are just normal and there is nothing wrong with being normal. It is called the Human Experience. We are here to learn and we are here to grow, and we are here to help others grown and learn. We are not here to be given a magic pill that when taken, makes an individual instantly “ascended”. It doesn’t work that way. We ascend together as the human race, or we don’t. There have been very, very few who have reached enlightenment in this earthly plane of existence and were no longer bounded by earthly restrictions, such as death. When they ascended, it was pretty obvious to all.

You can claim whatever titles you want, but if it is a title YOU claim, it probably isn’t merited.

A Lightworker should accept what gifts, abilities or teachings that they are given with gratitude and approach them with humility. Even so, remember that these are not given for the individual’s use, but so that the individual can use them to help others. Keep in mind that most of these gifts are humble, especially the greatest: the ability to feel true compassion for others and to be able to act on it. Think of each of us as being one of the gears in a giant cosmic clock. Each gear may turn a bit differently, but each connects to others and is equally important. Take a gear out of place and the performance of the clock is compromised.

Remember the Law of One. We are all connected. When we help another, we heal ourselves.

Lightworking isn’t a game or a part-time vocation. It is hard work. It is not easy to start a spiritual practice and make it part of your daily routine. It is not easy to make service to others a conscious commitment in your everyday life. It is not as easy to identify the flaws within yourself as it is to observe flaws within others. It is even more difficult treat yourself with compassion. Pride creates a veil of illusion that is difficult to pierce.

What this whole ramble boils down to is this:

Remember why you are here and what your Wings are for. We are NOT Avatars of Power, we are Conduits of Compassion.

As for me…..I am just a regular guy who is doing his best.

Much Metta,

Christopher Buck

Anti This, Anti That Part 2

2008-06-10T16:45:00.000-04:00

Last month I ran a piece on here about the need to be unequivocally pro-something rather than anti-something if we really want to make a definitive and long lasting positive change in the world. It is not possible to stop war by being anti-war. It is not possible to stop racism by being anti-racist. It is not possible to stop animal abuse by being anti-animal abuse. Pro-peace, pro-equality, pro-compassion. These are the things that make a difference. These are the things that turn the world around and spin it in a new direction.

This is not some obtuse theory that needs to be vindicated by example, by test, by experimentation. History - ALL history, of every culture through every time period teaches us this truth. There are no exceptions. It is not a theory. It is in the bag already.

When I re-posted the original 'Anti This, Anti That' post on my own MySpace page, the reaction that I got in the form of comments was somewhat different to the one's received here. I was utterly astonished at some of the negativity and the hanging on to anger and violence that was apparent in some of the comments - and these from supposedly 'spiritual' people. So here I am revisiting but with as much passion as previously for the same unequivocal stance that being anti-anything is a recipe for revolution, not evolution.

One commentator stated "I would love to see a world run on compassion and equal co-operation but I'm also a realist". He went on to say "If I come upon a group of skinheads beating up someone downtown I'm not going to try and open a dialogue with them. I'm going let my fists do the talking. Not a situation I would relish but I won't stand by and be passive while someone is beat to death." Where should we stand on an issue such as this?

Firstly, let's do away with this notion that being compassionate and treating people with respect is not realistic in terms of making a change in the world. It does. There is no argument on this - thought is energy, love is energy, compassion is energy and we have no choice but to put that energy out into the world - our thought forms spiral out into the world and influence the world around us. Thoughts have a direct and measurable effect on the world. Being a realist in the sense given here is not about realism, it is about buckling under the weight of the task involved in educating enough people to use the force of compassion and love in the world, instead of the force of hate and anger. We can all hypothesise about make-believe situations and what we might or might not do in those situations, but what is the point in this? This is not a reflection of reality, it is fantasy. This is a reflection of an ego's desire to find a justification for it's particular stance on an issue. In a violent situation, such as the one outlined above, we simply do what we feel that we need to do at the moment - in that instant. Whatever it is. There is just no point in having pre-determined strategies for hypotheses such as these which are highly unlikely to come about in any case. A sense of realism is most definitely needed here.

Another commentator had this to say:

"I choose to fight for what I believe in with all my might, it is my right!...We have to fight, Steve. This world would be a lot different if we did not have the Hero's that stood up for Human/Animal Rights...I am Spirit Warrior and I will fight injustice till there is no breathe left inside me...STAND UP AND FIGHT for what you believe in...it is a right and duty..."

There are of course many who choose to stand up and fight for what they believe in: racists, fascists, animal experimenters, war-mongers and dictators, armed militias...they too have this right - just as we all have the right to fight on the opposite side of that equation. Everyone has the right to fight for what they believe in, but the sad consequence of all of that fighting is that the majority of people who have no axe to grind, or are not in any way connected to the dispute, get dragged into people's 'rights' to fight for what they believe in. These are the one's that get harmed in the end, the one's that we have no right to foist our agenda upon - whatever it is, regardless of the cause or it's apparent worthiness - a state of being which is, incidentally, entirely subjective.

If fighting had brought about an equitable world at all, we would have no more animal experiments, no more wars, no more rape, no more torture, no more totalitarianism and we would all be living in an idyllic wonderland. As a race we have been fighting for countless generations and have achieved not a single thing through it. We have just watched the scales tip back and forth. We don't have a utopia because people insist on exerting their 'right' to fight. The rest of us, who want no part of those battles have to pay for the consequences of the minority who think that fighting can somehow bring about a positive outcome.

Fighting for your belief (and that is all it is: not an eternal truth) most certainly is not in any way a duty. It is an abdication of intelligent thought and a commitment to taking the road of least resistance. It has always been the easy option. When you don't like something: attack it. The IRA did this in Northern Ireland and achieved nothing in spite of their deeply held conviction that they were in the right (just as the British held a similar view on their side of the argument). The Animal Liberation Front in the UK has been attacking various establishments and properties for a considerable number of years to put an end to animal abuse in all forms - this is their deeply held conviction and have achieved nothing. Of course, the people they attack have equally firmly held convictions that they are right and will do just as much to protect their agenda. How many examples are needed? When can we drop this ego-bound commitment to the idea that the way we think the world should run, is just our opinion, and one that is in direct conflict with the way that others think the world should be run?

Let's also deal with this concept of 'duty' a little more. Now, at the risk of alienating some, the concept of one's 'duty' is something that is, in fact, peculiarly totalitarian in its use and expression of collective agendas. Certainly in the UK (and I am not really qualified to speak for other countries), the idea that one has a 'duty' is not readily absorbed as a part of one's personal make-up. The British are a contrary lot and don't take kindly to anyone (least of all the British government) telling them that they have a duty to do or be anything. So being told that I have a 'duty' to do anything grates considerably on this particular typical Brit.

'Duty' is a word that has been used to round up the citizens of various nations to a particular cause or a particular agenda for a lot of years and it has become something of an anthemic word in a number of countries and certainly permeates American popular culture at all levels. It is a word, that when all else fails, politicians, or other agenda-makers have and will continue to use to inculcate obedience within a significant percentage of the population. It smacks of nationalistic gung-ho political fervour and carries no weight or significance outside of that context; so using it here - in a supposedly spiritual context, to foster the idea that we have some sort of 'duty' to bend to an agenda is whistling into the wind.

Let's get back to the fight: While the fighting goes on, there is no hope. Fighting is the fools weapon of first choice. It is the reason why we shall never have a sustainable and peaceful world. It is a direct consequence of humanity's total inability to learn the lessons of the past in every arena and to be able to see the causes and consequences of actions that we take.

I am not advocating a 'sit down and be nice to everyone' policy in the hope that things will just work out on their own either. I am very up for a revolution! We need more revolutions, but we need them first in thought and in introspection and a realisation that what we hold to be true is not true at all, but just an opinion and that there are other sides to that argument that need to be respected. When we see the others perspective then we stand a chance of resolving difficulties without killing each other. The winner is not the one who wins the battle and kills the most enemies, it is the one that can turn the tides of the world by causing a revolution in the hearts and minds of ones opponents.

Chris Buck, one of the founders of Humanity Healing had this to say on the issue:

"What many people do not seem to understand is that you can oppose an action or activity without attacking the people doing it. One of the Twelve Keys of Spiritual Activism states: "Do not defame your detractors or those who doubt you. A confrontational approach leads to a defensive reaction. Approach others with openness and compassion in your heart. Build on the commonalities between you instead of focusing on the differences. As much as possible, detach yourself from the results of your actions. Aspire to always be a peacemaker."

Chris makes some pertinent points and it certainly is important to embrace and build on similarities between two opposed stances, but more than this it is also ultimately important to embrace the differences. Whilst these stay in the closet there is always a nagging doubt about the motives and the actions of the 'other'. A marriage is founded on trust, understanding, compassion and love and these qualities emerge and enfold one in spite of the differences which are accepted with equanimity...this is the way we should approach all: with equanimity. We MUST learn to embrace the differences too. We cannot turn our back on these and expect to live in peace and harmony whilst we fear or reject or ignore the differences. We need to cherish these also.

I want to finish this piece off with a comment that was sent to me from a staunch and valued member of the Humanity Healing family, Saurab Marjara:

If we look beyond the general connotation of a word such as "anti", which over time has obviously gathered a kind of meaning that is negative, we could see that it could also mean "not in agreement with", although of course, it could mean different things to different people, depending on where they are coming from emotionally. Sometimes we may use our disagreement with life-situations that affect others outside of our day to day life, as a way to avoid facing personal grief /unresolved pain, in which case, being "anti" would simply result in projecting one's own negativity onto a problem and this can only lead to more mischief, and more problems, not less....as you mentioned, because pain cannot resolve pain. The other possibility is when we disagree with something, out of empathy for the suffering of another, but there is an absence of negativity. In such cases, i think it is sensible to take a stand against something, if it is needed. Can we be against something (not someone), without being negative? I think this is possible.The reason why this is important is that compassion and insight must complement each other and sometimes there can be a clear insight into something that would need one to be not in agreement with something. When can this kind of an approach go wrong (be not-skillful)? I think this can go wrong, if we do not have the emotional discipline required to maintain a state of non-reaction, when we are against something. It is at this point, that disagreement takes on a negative meaning, and then our own pain finds an outlet via that which we are not in agreement with. So, what begins as insight, can result in negativity, very easily, if we are not careful. I think it is for this reason that it is recommended to always take an approach that validates, rather than invalidates (is a "yes" rather than a "no") being that none of us, or perhaps very few of us, are truly free from pain and therefore free of the possibility of projecting our own pain via our disagreements. The other problem is that..... thought is so set in form and crystallized by it's very nature, as opposed to an insight that moves in-context all the time. If/when it is there, that the application of prior thought to a problem per-se is always not exactly in-context, and therefore there is always some form of discrepancy, if problems are sought to be resolved at the ideological level, even if the formation of the ideology was the result of insight. If there could be mental clarity, through less thought activity, and no prior conclusions, then there could be room for insight to be there more and more, which insights are always in-context and always fresh and new, even with regard to problems that are old, and I think it is then that our responses would be most adequate...."

Saurab makes some extremely valuable points here and of course it is true that in many instances it does require a recognition of a problem for us to generate a contradictory stance. How can we become actively pro-peace without the recognition that there is war? How can we become actively pro-equality without the recognition that there is racism and other forms of discrimination? But, as Saurab makes clear, there is a need, once this recognition takes place to apply insight and wisdom and to then form a re-orientated stance to the particular issue and not be swallowed up with a negatively focused, non-productive angst.

Positively focused agendas are fundamentally full of joy and creativity. For those who are pro-something the world opens up to a plethora of possibilities and imagination can run riot on ways to encourage the creation of that which we desire. All evolutionary steps are creative and begin first with the rampant imaginings of those who dare to dream. Negatively focused agendas have no where to go, are not creative and offer nothing of evolutionary value to anyone.

I am sure that there is much more that can be said on this issue and I look forward to your responses - whatever they might be.

Many blessings, metta and salam-alikum,

Steve

Sudan in Flames: Killing the Phoenix

2008-05-12T12:38:00.002-04:00

Two days on from the attack on Khartoum by Darfuri rebels, the Sudanese capital is still reeling. Outside the school in which I teach, the same one that infamously hit the news headlines six months ago for the Mohammed the teddy bear story, gun battles between the Sudanese and rebel forces raged this morning. Some say mortar fire was also heard. Nonetheless, the city-wide curfew has now been lifted but remains in place in the twin city of Omdurman where the Justice and Equality Movement initially launched their attack.

It is not clear what JEM forces remain in Omdurman. Only yesterday morning they were claiming to have taken that part of Khartoum and were consolidating their position. This is looking to be unlikely now, but it is known that during the attack they managed to probe into the heart of Khartoum across the Nile bridges, many of which they held for a short time.

Following the attack, some of the rebel forces managed to disperse throughout the main parts of the city, mingling with the general population amongst whom they would easily go unnoticed.

Right now, the streets of Khartoum are filled with special forces soldiers, the regular police, the secret police riding motorbikes with AK47's strapped to their backs, paratroopers and government backed death squad militias. Heavy artillery is on many corners. Forces patrol the streets and road blocks around the area of the airport are particularly frequent. Khartoum airport is bizarrely smack bang in the middle of the city.

Significant numbers of arrests are taking place city-wide of anyone that even looks vaguely Darfuri.

It is easy to get complacent at this time. Life is generally starting to get back to normal and the presence of heavily armed soldiers on the streets, as worrying as it is, does make one feel that things are under control. This is likely to be far from the truth.

JEM have made claims that they have already taken and knocked out the Sudanese airforce's main supply base 10 miles north of the city and there are unconfirmed reports of heavy rebel troop movements to the north of the city and advancing on Khartoum.

What is significant in all of this is that the regular Sudanese army were not very much involved in putting down the rebel attack in Omdurman, nor are they leading the defence of the city now. The main players have been and continue to be crack special forces units and the secret police. The army, as the Sudanese authorities have readily admitted, may well have had a part to play in orchestrating the attack of two days ago and it seems that some of these government forces joined with the rebels during the offensive. There is now a purge of middle ranking officers of the Sudanese army underway.

A large part of the regular army is drawn from the Darfur region and their are clear tribal and family links between these forces and those in Darfur that are regularly attacked by the Sudanese government. Hence the government's reliance on a proxy war undertaken by various militias such as the Janjaweed; an arab millita with no vested interest other than ideology and payment. Tribal links are significant here. Tribal allegiances are much stronger than national or political or religious allegiances.

The symbolic significance of the rebel assault on Omdurman will not have gone unnoticed by the government. The last time that anyone managed to attack Khartoum was when the Mahdi army drove Kitchener from the city around a hundred years ago. They too came from the West and took Omdurman, before going on to slaughter the British forces and levelling the city of Khartoum on the other side of the Nile. To this day, Omdurman has been largely populated by the descendants of the Mahdi's army and thus they have strong tribal and ethnic allegiances with the JEM forces; some of whom it is believed, are being looked after by the civilian population of Omdurman.

Two days on and there is clearly a profound feeling of unrest in the city. The word on the street is that this is not over and that more is to come. Many are expecting a full scale civil war. JEM have made it clear that they intend to attack again and keep on attacking until they smash the Sudanese government. This might be posturing, but given the fractured and chaotic state of politics and military strategy here, absolutely anything can happen now.

What is undeniably a reality however is that the ordinary people on the streets that simply want to get on with their lives are living in fear. There is no way out of this city and thus everyone must simply sit and wait for what many believe is the inevitable.

Of course there is nothing inevitable about violence but telling that to men of violence; on either side of the divide is like banging your head against the butt end of an AK47...something that can easily be arranged for you in this city of guns and ideologies.

So keep praying, keep sending your best wishes and your hopes of peace this way. This country needs it.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

Sudan in Flames

2008-05-10T10:10:00.005-04:00

As I type this, safe in my cosey little apartment, outside I can hear the sound of helicopter gunships. Not far down the road from me, just past the UN compound, the sound of heavy artillery can be heard. A sole voice is now calling out something over a tanoy from a nearby mosque. Khartoum is under attack. A couple of hours ago my local shopkeeper told me as best he could in very broken English and much rapid-fire Arabic, that there was gun fire in the city of Omdurman. City, yes it is, but in reality a suburb of Khartoum. It is the old Mahdi capital of Sudan which has just, it is being said on Reuters, been taken by the Darfuri rebel force JEM (Justice and Equality Movement). Never before has a Darfuri rebel force managed to enter the capital. Never before has the city been under attack by thousands of men drawn from the disgruntled masses of opressed Darfur. Taking Omdurman gives them control of all of the Nile bridges and thus access to the seat of government. If the palace falls, Sudan falls. President Beshir's palace sits just across the river from Omdurman. You could shoot the windows out from the other bank I would have thought. It is in the very heart of modern Khartoum.

This is a dark time in Khartoum. For years, the muslim government has battered and mutilitated a part of its own country and now it looks as if that government is going to reap that which it has sown. The inevitable has arisen.

A neighbour from Bristol in the UK, married to a Sudanese woman just informed me that as far as the military are concerned, this is the start of a full on war. He should know - his father-in-law is a Sudanese military commander.

What will happen over the next few hours, no one knows. Perhaps the rebels will be driven back. Perhaps the government will simply relinquish power...who knows? It is not a good time to be in Sudan..Khartoum...the army is in disarray as many of them, are in fact Darfuri's themselves and may join forces with the rebels. The rest? There is nothing worse than an army in retreat through civilian areas...

The people of Sudan are beautiful, peaceful and generous people. They have been villified by the world for a very long time. Now they must it seem suffer through another tragedy of massive proportions...

So, my friends...send your blessings, your good wishes, your prayers, your hopes and your love for the people of Sudan and Darfur and all of the impoverished people outside my window as I type this...they need your thoughts and your love now......this is a country that may be about to go up in flames...the next few hours will tell. I may not have the opportunity to post a follow up to this. Right now I am sitting tight in the knowledge that I have a British passport, access to a bus and my embassy and a UN compound not far away....

Blessings and metta,

Steve

Anti This, Anti That...

2008-04-18T15:28:00.006-04:00

Anti -war.

Anti-vivesection.
Anti-racism.
Anti-globalisation.
Anti-sexism.
Anti-environmental destruction.
Anti-terrorism.
Anti-hunting.

Anti-this.
Anti-that.

Forward thinking people all over the world are anti-something-or-other it seems. Some are anti quite a lot of things and there is certainly plenty going on in the world to be anti-focused over. There are genocides going on in various parts of the world where whole communities are being butchered by totalitarian governments or armed militias. Unnecessary and cruel experiments are being conducted on animals for the sake of human vanity or suspect medical science. Individuals and organisations are being supressed with violence because of their religious or political views. Child murders and abductions, rape, environmental destruction, torture, executions, inhumane incarceration, hunting for 'sport', hunting for raw materials, persecutions of all kinds, slavery, terrorism by state and militia, war.

If an individual has just an ounce of intelligent understanding of the nature of suffering and a feeling of compassion for other beings, it would seem absurd in the extreme if that individual was not anti probably the whole list of things that I have given above, and maybe a few others that I haven't thought of.

Actually, being anti any of these things is not a sign of intelligence at all. It is a sign of misplaced compassion and a fundamental lack of understanding of the way that the Universe works. It is dangerous and complicit in that which it opposes. Anti-this and anti-that people are a part of the problem and are actively helping to create the circumstances through which the realisation of a peaceful, sustainable and loving world is pushed further and further away.

I am assuming that readers of this blog will accept as a given the principles that lie behind the multi-million dollar re-hashing of ancient and contemporary wisdoms in the movie and book of 'The Secret'. 'The Secret' states that one of the fundamental principles governing the universe is the 'law of attraction': that which we focus upon, or put our energetic intent behind, will manifest in the here-and-now world of physicality. This ancient piece of wisdom has been one of the ways through which mankind, albeit unknowingly for the most part, has made progress through the millennia. It is also the dynamic through which focused prayer and meditative practices bring into manifestation the blessings and compassionate energy of that which we might term 'the God-force'. That the universe responds to these requests; these powerful thought forms is not open to debate. The evidence is comprehensive and massive.

The critical key underlying this law is that the God-force is not discriminatory. It does not make judgements. It will simply take the focus - that which you put your energy behind and manifest it. If you put your energy behind that which you don't want; your 'anti-agenda' it will bring into realisation more of what you don't want. Your focus is on it, your energy is in it. Hating something or being strongly opposed to something is an incredibly powerful energetic projection out into the universe and the God-force is going to hear you and give you more of it.

Let's take for example; racism. Racism is one of the most insidious scourges within the complex dysfunctionality of the human condition. It is an emotive response to fear and a venting of deeply embedded ignorance. It is one of the ways through which the benediction of love constantly fails to bestow its blessings upon us all. The slothful, lazy response to racism is to be opposed to it and to give support to the anti-racist agenda. Next to being an active racist, this is about the very worst thing you can do. Anger begins to eat you up, hatred of racism and those that voice it may consume you (and this in itself makes you no better than those whom you oppose). You might go on anti-racism rallys, or read books on the subject or hang out with other people who have the same outlook on the issue. This approach and orientation to the elimination of racism has achieved absolutely nothing at all.

In the West, over the last generation or so, the anti-racist lobby has made powerful connections with anti-racist politicians who have pushed through anti-racist laws for the protection of racial minorities within their respective communities. The passing of a law however is utterly meaningless in the endeavour to eliminate a major inhibitor to human evolution. Racism is in the heart and mind. Cruelty is in the heart and mind. Dispassion is in the heart and mind. Laws cannnot stop what people wish to think and feel. In Britian for instance, black and Asian citizens have slowly become more and more accepted as a part of society, but this has not happened because of the anti-racist legislastion that is now in place. It has not happened because of the vocal and influential opposition of the anti-racism lobby. It has happened due to the process of osmosis. People have, over time, simply become used to their presence. The people of Britain are in fact, just as racist as they ever were. The evidence is in the tabloid newspapers on a daily basis. It is on the streets and in the cafes. The hundreds of thousands of people moving to the UK from Eastern Europe are villified daily. Racism is deep within the collective psyche of the British people - just as much now as it was fifty years ago, or a hundred years ago. I am certain that Britain is not alone in this.

Look at the faces of the people in the pictures here: filled with anger and hatred. Is this the world we want to create? No, it is the world we want to elimintate.

The answer to defeating and eliminating racism...or war...or animal abuse...is to place our focus on that which we want, either individually or collectively, and not at all on what we don't want. Instead of sending out the message 'racism' or 'abuse' or 'war' we should be sending out the message 'tolerance' or 'compassion' or 'peace'. These are the things we want. These are the things we need to take the place of those things that we don't want. After being asked why she did not attend anti-war demonstrations, Mother Teresa once commented that she would certainly attend if a pro-peace demonstration were to be held instead. Here is the wisdom that we all need to follow. Here is the critical point. Be passionate about peace. Be consumed by the desire for tolerance. Strive with enthusiasm for a fairer, more just and sustainable world.

Energy follows thought. Whatever we put our focus on, we create. We need to focus on the world that we do want and not on the one that we don't want. This is why you will never see Humanity Healing launching a campaign that is anti-anything. Humanity Healing is FOR a world filled with love and peace and compassion for all. This is the responsibility of all intelligent, committed people that see the injustices that exist in the world and want to bring about something else to take its place.

Anger and hate and anti-this and anti-that have no place in an equitable world. These are the tools of the self-righteous. Together, through using positively focused intent, we CAN collectively and individually make a difference. We need to begin now.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

An Interview with Daniel Kobialka

2008-03-21T16:07:00.006-04:00

Daniel Kobialka has been at the forefront of contemporary classical music for the best part of the last half century. An internationally acclaimed violinist, composer and lecturer he has recorded a number of best selling albums and appeared on the New York Times Best Recordings List with his stunning work 'Autumn Beyond'. He has also been the Principal 2nd violinist for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and has held professorships at the San Francisco State University, the Catholic University of America, the California State Universities of San Francisco and Hayward and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His reputation, his work and his life is one that is well documented.

Daniel is however much more than just a significant and world-renowned musical presence. He is a man with a heart and a mission to help transform the lives of others through the expression and cultivation of love in the world via the conduit of his music. This very personal and relentless passion is what drives him and profoundly colours the musical expression of his life. In conversation you cannot help but be struck by the overwhelming yearning that seems to be present in his voice to see the lives of others being bettered in some way. To see the world transformed. It seems as if he would, given the opportunity, re-make the world as an ethereal and resonant melody that cannot help but eternally loop back on itself in an effort to re-experience the beauty of life's musical phrases over and over again. This is a man dedicated to the greatest goal that there is on this earthly plane: using the gifts that one is given to help mediate in the tragedies of life that others find themselves in.

Daniel has in recent years taken a great interest in the growing field of music that often falls under the label 'new age'. It is in fact a musical form that is often belittled by serious musical aficionados due to its often misunderstood associations with the more 'ungrounded' elements of a community that is itself largely marginalised by mainstream society. This musical genre has for some time now been enthusiastically grasped by a growing number of people working in the field of complementary and alternative therapies. Writing and recording music for this particular audience is just one of the strings to Daniel's multi-faceted bow. He is also very much involved in conducting his own research into the healing effects of music and experimenting with various compositional approaches to facilitate its use within a therapeutic context. You can access a sample of one of Daniel's experimental pieces around the theory of entrainment that combines in the form of a medley Bach's 'Air on a G String' with Procul Harem's 'Whiter Shade of Pale' by clicking the link here.

It is an honour and a pleasure to have had the opportunity to interview Daniel and to talk to him about his thoughts and feelings on the place of music within the broad spectrum of healing methods. It is also a significant interview for Humanity Healing, as Daniel is not only a friend of the Humanity Healing team, but our own Ambassador for the House of Creation. As such his musical works are finding their way into more and more diverse projects, the most important of which to date is his rendition of 'The Pachelbel Canon' for the groundbreaking 'Ripple Effect' video which I covered previously in this blog. If you are not familiar with this work, then I suggest that you click on the link and enjoy this wonderful visual and auditory experience! I am sure that we can look forward to more of Daniel's work being integrated into Humanity Healing projects over the coming months and years. I am also personally very excited by some of the other projects that Daniel talks about in the interview, such as the Humanity Healing label that is being planned to encourage those that also want to make a difference in the world but perhaps do not have access to the mainstream.

You can access the interview with Daniel by clicking on the link here or by clicking on the title of this blog post at the top of the page; 'An Interview with Daniel Kobialka'. If you would like to discover more about Daniel and his music then you could also visit his personal website at:

www.danielkobialka.com

More links to Daniel's pages and blogs are given in the sidebar of this blog under 'HH Ambassador's Blogs & Websites', but also keep an eye on the Humanity Healing Network website where, as time goes by, more of Daniel's work for Humanity Healing will be featured.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

I Love You But...

2008-02-18T11:13:00.001-05:00

I received a message the other day from Lauren Zimmeman; our Honorary Ambassador asking me if I would like to post the following piece on the Humanity Healing blog. I read it and frankly there was no way I was not going to post it! Lauren is a writer of some considerable calibre and we are very blessed here in Humanity Healing to have her to help support, promote and represent the work that we are doing. If you are not familiar with Lauren's work then you might like to listen in to the interview that I conducted with her last year where she talks about her motivation, her writing and her vision of a better world for all. Just click the link here.

I think that you will find the following; illuminating. All human beings feel and express love in one way or another, but how many of us truly understand what love is? How many of us can transcend the conditional parameters that we place on this emotion? Is Love in fact really just an emotion? Or something much more? Something much more omnipresent and critical to the human condition? Lauren's exposition below will, if you have never pondered the nature of Love before, give you a glimpse through the eyes of Truth at what it really means to feel and express Love.

I Love You But….

It's time for the next layer of understanding to be peeled off. For many years the term "unconditional love" has been explored by those here on Earth. The entire concept was leading up to another layer of the illusionary reality of Earth, a layer that needs to come off so that the level of healing that needs to be done can be done.

Here we are…

I love you because you make me laugh, your heart can be felt all the way across the room, you're so filled with love for others, you are my brother in soul, (or) you are my sister in soul, we are one, we are aspects of God and Infinite Soul. I love you because you're you.

I love you enough to love you no matter what you do with your life.

I love you but I wish you wouldn't be so sensitive. I love you but I really wish your hair was blonde. (I like blondes and I shouldn't have to apologize for that.) I love you but you're poor and I don't want to feel as though I need to save you. I love you and I'll be waiting on the other side of whatever drama you're creating right now.

I love you but I wish you would change.

I love you but I wish you weren't creating the reality you're creating with your life right now.

I think I would love you even more if things would change.

It's tantalizing, isn't it? That carrot on the end of the stick. The hint, the implication, the hope, that there is more love behind what we're already giving and receiving and if things were different, we might just be comfortable enough to express that hidden love … that love that is waiting for something .. or someone .. to change.

As a species, humans are exploring what love truly is. Unconditional love is just the beginning. Behind that layer of understanding is a layer of absolute surrender to BEING love, to being the fullest expression of love, God, Soul, that we can be … without reservations, expectations, wishes, and judgments.

Yes, it IS a judgment to want God to change people or things. This is a tough one to explain, and an even tougher one to live. But it is the Truth of who we are, as infinite souls. Why is it so tough to live the Truth of who we are?

Do we, as a society, want to abolish war and crime, abuse and fear, hatred and judgment? Yes. And so what does it mean to love ALL things without judgment and yet still wish for change?

Much, if not all, of the acting out that people on Earth do has a base of need. The need to be heard, to be loved, to be understood, to be allowed to be who we are without judgment. And so the base, the foundation, of all things that do not appear to express love is fear. Need is fear disguised.

If we address fear, we address the lack of love. If we address the lack of love, we begin to understand that it is our inability to BE the full expression of love that we are that is causing the fear … and the fear is causing the acting out of war, hate, abuse, etc.

Let's go back to the question … how do we love those things we wish would change?

What is it exactly that we want to change? If we look closely enough, if we peel off the layers of the out-picturing of devastation that is this entire Earth society, we will find ourselves. Each person is responsible for the out-picturing of life on Earth.

Let's look at a possible scenario. What if every single person decided to BE love and nothing else? What if each person let go of the energy of wishing things were different and began to LIVE the truth within themselves that things CAN be different if we are the foundation of love instead of the foundation of fear?

What we want to change and heal is the fear that drives this human reality. That fear can be changed by being love. Love is who each of us are, in our true forms. It sounds like a dichotomy … because it is. We ourselves create the dichotomy.

Fear is not a state of being that is generated or accepted by our soul. Our soul knows only love and lives within the firm and eternal union of love with infinity and God. Our soul does not wish for things to change. Soul recognized that life on Earth is an effort to create a reality that embraces the lessons of understanding that all things are love, even when they don't look like love at all.

Think about this, if you will, for just a moment. What are we really saying behind our thoughts of non-acceptance?

I love you God … but I wish You would change this.

This is a topic that deserves an entire book .. or volume of books. But this blog serves as a tidbit of thought for those who are ready to explore the next layer of what this reality is all about. By entertaining the thought, we entertain the possibility. By entertaining the possibility, we encourage the truth.

With love and honor to each of you.

Lauren Zimmerman

Thank you once again Lauren for your continued support and efforts on behalf of Humanity Healing.

If you would like to find out more about Lauren's work then you can visit her website by clicking this link.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

The Humanity Healing Grid

2008-02-11T14:20:00.003-05:00

A little while back we published a piece on this blog called 'The Spirit of Humanity in a Yahoo Group' in which Stefanie Vermillion discussed the work that we do in Humanity Healing in offering support, comfort and healing to those who are facing challenges in their lives. We are utterly committed to this and are constantly trying to improve the methods, the techniques and the forums that we use to reach these people and to extend the hand of friendship, love and compassion to others.

Our Yahoo Group which is our main healing forum, has grown enormously in recent times and continues to draw in not only those in need but more and more willing volunteers who want to make a positive difference to the lives of others. The ways that each of these volunteers help are many. Advice is offered, counseling is given, prayers are said, meditations undertook, distant healing engaged in and personal heart-felt interaction on a one to one basis is indeed common. Providing solace to the lonely, distressed and suffering individuals that come to us is the prime motive force that drives the engine of Humanity Healing.

At the core of all of this activity and tied very closely to the work of the Yahoo Group is the Humanity Healing Grid. Bearing in mind of course that Humanity Healing is very much a standard bearer for an engagement with spiritual activism, it makes sense then that one of the methods that we rely on for the promotion of health, harmony and balance in the lives of those who come to us should be a powerful, proven method of working with spiritual energies.

The Humanity Healing Grid is a tool through which the energetic intentions of our many healers and volunteers are transmuted into a vortex of healing energy that has its origins within the Universal Energy Field from which all life finds its initial expression and to which we will all one day return. The Universal Energy Field is simply a convenient euphemism for what many would call God or All That Is or indeed The Universal Mind. Whatever we want to call it, it is that state of being and non-being beyond duality that we tap into with our healing intentions, bringing them into the here and now for the benefit of those in need.

A Healing Grid is a practical tool that consists of a number of elements set in a predetermined pattern that encourages spiritual energy to vibrate at a very high frequency and then focuses it into a beam that is drawn, through time and space by those for whom the healing/positive/prayer intent is being harnessed. Healing energy is never sent as this implies a control element on the part of the healer or group of healers. The Healing Grid can in some senses be seen as a sort of 'spiritual battery', but often manifests in the form of a 'spiritual battering ram' in its gentle but precision unwinding of an energetic tornado on the state of dis-ease of the suffering individual. The Humanity Healing Grid is so far comprised of two elements: one grid is at my home in the UK in central England and the other is at Liane's home in California in the USA. You can see them in the first two pictures on this post. Both are regularly charged with healing energy, prayers and the powerful intentions of many for the good of those for whom it is directed.

A Healing Grid is something that anyone can construct for themselves. The most commonly used elements within a Healing Grid are gemstones or crystals and mandala's or symbols that have a powerful spiritual significance. Anything however that has a spiritual vibration for the individual constructing the Grid can be used. Pictures of gurus and Avatars, statues of the Buddha, candles and meditation aids can all add to the energy of a Healing Grid. Once set up however, a Healing Grid does need to be regularly recharged. Just like a battery, eventually its energy becomes depleted. It is necessary therefore to plug the Grid back into the mains from time to time to keep it topped up with healing energy. The mains is of course the Universal Energy Field and the plug is the healer, or practitioner of meditation or prayer, that has set the Grid.

The Humanity Healing Grid that I have here in the UK is constructed from a number of specific elements that are used for their spiritual significance and their innate qualities as transmitters or containers for healing energy.

At the base is an image - drawn by me that incorporates, but hidden within it, a powerful, tried and tested healing symbol from the Reiki method. Placed under this is a piece of woven cloth that contains the compassionate blessings of the 14th Dalai Lama. This in itself has an incredible healing effect on all of those that have either held it or been in its presence - surely a testament to the incredible energy of peace, love and compassion that is embodied within the person and the mind of the Dalai Lama.

In constructing the main part of the Healing Grid, I selected 8 clear quartz crystals that I have used many times for healing work and placed these, fully charged with healing energy, in a circle on top of the symbol picture. A central, more powerful crystal was then placed at the heart of this construction. Other crystals were then also added at various points, all radiating towards the centre of the Grid. Crystals are amazing conductors of energy and perfect for this type of metaphysical application, aligned as they are to various spiritual and energetic vibrations from the Universal Energy Field. To add a personal resonance for me, I have included a statue of the Buddha and pictures of the Medicine Buddha and the Buddha of Compassion. The Medicine Buddha is of course very much an embodiment of the universal desire to help in all healing work on all levels of being, whilst the Buddha of Compassion casts beams of compassionate energy across the face of humankind. This too helps very much in the work of healing and in the bringing of the correct motivation to the desire for engaging in healing work. This Grid is kept charged on a regular basis through the application of Reiki and positive intent.

The Grid that I have here in England is based around a simple circular construction but many other designs or layouts are possible. For those that have a particular resonance with or interest in, for instance the Kabbalah; a design based on the Tree of Life might be appropriate. Some have built Grids with a layout that reflects the Star of David, a Pentagram or a Cross. Any symbolic form that has a spiritual focus for the practitioner works well. Mandalas and forms based on sacred geometry are also common. It does not matter what the particular spiritual or religious convictions of the recipients of the healing energy are. Ultimately, all of these symbolic 'gateways' to the Universal Mind lead to the same place and tap into the same reservoir of pure infinite love that is the natural basis of the Universe in which we all live and thus carry the same frequency of energy when used for a specific purpose such as healing.

Liane's Grid in California is buried in the Earth but marked by a circle of stones that help to close the focus of the healing energy. It is a common practice for many Grid builders to place Healing Grids directly in the ground. The theory behind this is that it helps to anchor or 'ground' the energy and imbues it with a particular earth-centred resonance. In Humanity Healing then, we have these two Healing Grids. One buried in the Earth and the other open to the elements. In this way we have incorporated the specific influences of particular frequencies of energy into the overall construction of this Healing Grid.

When I have built Healing Grids in the past it has been my usual practice to place the names of those for whom the healing is intended, written on a piece of paper, under the central crystal. However, in the case of the Humanity Healing Grid, since there is now accumulating a very long list of names, these are placed directly under the base symbol image. It doesn't really matter where this list of names goes, as long as it has a direct link through the mind of the practitioner to the Grid. Simply placing it at the side of the Grid is as good as anywhere else.

So how do you go about building your own Healing Grid?

Instructions for Building a Healing Grid

The instructions that I give here are those that were taught to me a number of years ago by my Reiki Masters. You do not however need to be a Reiki practitioner to use this approach. There are many approaches to Healing Grid construction and this method is very much open to adaptation.

You will need 8 crystals. Quartz points are very good for this type of energy work but it is more important that you find crystals that you personally resonate with and that feel right to you.

You will need to cleanse them. There are many ways of cleansing crystals and here are a few of them:

Sound: A Tibetan singing bowl is good for this but a tuning fork, gong or bell works just as well. The crystal is energetically cleansed by the vibration that is set up by such a pure sound.
Visualisation: Take a deep breathe and blow over the crystal. As you do so, imagine and have the intention that you are clearing away all negativities and purifying the crystal.
Sea Salt: Fill a small container with sea salt and bury the crystals in it for at least 24 hours. You should never use salt water for purifying them as this can damage some of the softer crystals.
Moonlight/Sunlight: Leave the crystals exposed to the energy of the Moon and the Sun for a period of 24 hours.
Reiki: If you practice Reiki, simply holding the crystals in your hands for about 10 minutes, either one at a time or all together is enough. The Reiki energy will not only cleanse but also charge the crystals at the same time.

There are many methods of cleansing crystals and these are just a few that you might like to try.

Once your crystals are cleansed, you need to find a place that is relatively private in which you can set your Grid up and that is easily accessible for you. Constructing the Grid on a tray or a sheet of wood or glass is a good idea as it makes it easy to move it when necessary.

Although not absolutely necessary, you can if you wish incorporate a symbol or a piece of artwork that has an energetic spiritual significance for you. This will form the base of the Grid.

Now select one of the 8 crystals that seems to you to be imbued with the most active or dynamic energy. This will be your Master Crystal. This will be used to keep the Grid fully charged.

Place 6 of the crystals in a circle of about 12" in diameter. If you have chosen points to work with then it would be a good idea to place them with the points to the centre of the circle. You can of course arrange them in whatever way feels right to you, but this is an arrangement that works well in most cases. The last crystal needs to be placed in the centre. I always use a cluster here, but a pyramid or ball or another point works just as well.

Take a photograph of the person to whom you wish to send healing energy and place it either under the whole Grid construction or under the central crystal. If you cannot get a photograph, simply writing their name on a piece of paper is fine. You can place as many people in to the Grid as you wish and add others at a later date as you need to. Once all of the crystals are in place, it is best not to disturb them.

So you have now built your Healing Grid. Feel free to add other elements that will aid your focus too. Pictures of spiritual beings or great teachers are good. Prayer cards, mandalas...anything that will make the place that the Grid is to be located resonate for you as a place for spiritual work.

You now need to charge the Grid. Take the Master Crystal and direct the point towards the centre of the Grid. You are going to now make 'slices' in the air with the Master Crystal, moving out from the centre to one of the outer crystals and then around the edge to the next crystal and then back to the centre. Back out to the crystal that you came from and around the edge to the next crystal. Imagine that you are slicing up a cake into equal portions! As you do this, it is a good idea to repeat a mantra or say a prayer or invoke spiritual energies in some other way that centres you and brings in a deep connection to the healing intention. It is important that you maintain a focus on the healing work for which the Grid is dedicated. You might like to draw healing symbols in the air over the Grid also. Be creative and do what feels right for you. There really are no hard and hast rules for this work.

Periodically - perhaps every two or three days, you should recharge your Grid with the Master Crystal in the same way.

If you find that you are going to be away from home for a period of time, you can keep the Grid charge by taking with you a photograph of it and the Master Crystal and charging that instead. As long as you have a strong connection to the Grid itself, the energy will flow to it.

A Grid such as this can have a number of applications. Place it under your own healing table to enhance the work that you do with individual clients. Put it some where in your meditation space to bring the specific qualities that you desire to your meditation practice. Place photos, affirmations or intentions there to bring about that which is for your higher purpose. Use your imagination and devise methods of your own to use the energetic qualities of such a Grid. Some believe that it is important that the elements of the Grid, once in place should not be moved and so either glue, wire or use some other method to fix them in place. Others pick up the various crystals and other elements and recharge them or talk to them on a regular basis - thus reinforcing positive intention. My personal preference is to keep the crystals and other elements fixed in place and this is the almost universal approach to working with Healing Grids. Ultimately, you must follow your inner guidance on matters such as this as you should in selecting the elements that you will use.

The two Humanity Healing Grids are constantly at work keeping the doorway open for all those that need it to the healing power of the Universal Energy Field. If you feel that you would like to aid in this work then please do so. Build a Grid for yourself and dedicate it to supporting the work of the Humanity Healing Grids. Simply place the words 'Humanity Healing Grid' under your central crystal. In this way we can eventually build a global network of Healing Grids that are all dedicated to this one healing purpose. The more powerful these two Grids become the more that we can do, on an energetic level, in alleviating the suffering of those that come to us for help.

Blessings and much metta,

Steve

Integral Suicide: The Quantum Poetry of Paul Lonely

2007-12-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

My Humanity Healing guest this time around is Paul Lonely. Paul is the author of the recently published and very highly acclaimed poetic work‘Suicide Dictionary’. As Paul has stated, Suicide Dictionary is intended to be the first volume in a life-long project. He has also said that he would like it to be viewed as a contemporary Upanishads – which is most definitely quite an ambitious undertaking. If you are not familiar with the Upanishads, at the bottom of this post is a brief introduction to what is possibly one of the greatest spiritual texts ever written.

Suicide Dictionary is already being regarded by many noted authors and leading exponents in the fields of spirituality and Integral theory (from which Suicide Dictionary sprang) as a work of genius. Indeed noted author, philosopher and founder of the Integral Institute, Ken Wilber has called the book “A startlingly original work of sheer genius…” The work of genius or not, Suicide Dictionary is without a doubt a critically important work that spans the interface between literature and spirituality, poetics and the numinous. At a time in human history when we are all learning about and interacting with people from other cultures and societies, people with other political and religious convictions, due to the advent of the internet (which is still, let’s face it, in its baby stage of growth) a new spiritual awareness is taking root. One that is metamorphosing out of the chameleon skins of all that we have shed as well as all that which we still hold as immutable. Suicide Dictionary is a poetic phoenix rising from the ashes of post-modern thought/post-modern spirituality and giving birth to a new resonance within the energetic matrix of spiritual art. Paul Lonely is clearly working at the cutting edge of a new integral art or an integral poetics. This is arising out of Ken Wilber’s notions of Integral theory and Integral Spirituality. If you would like to read an interesting piece on Integral art by Michael Garfield, then click the link here. What is developing here is a symbiotic relationship between reductionist science and that which has always represented the interface between humanities rational and non-rational relationship with the world: the arts. In bringing all that humanity has used and developed to make sense of the physicality that we inhabit, it is clear that science too must play its part in answering the questions that religion/faith/belief have never really been capable of answering on their own.

Ken Wilber has pointed out in some of his writings on the nature of consciousness that we cannot escape from the intersubjective worldspace that we are born into. In this sense it is then, according to this theory, not possible for an artist or anyone else to transcend that worldspace, That all works of art, as a product and exploration of consciousness, great or not, are in some ways entirely the product of and impacted by the world in which they are created. There must however also be a sense that some aspects of art, and perhaps those aspects which might lead to the general agreement on ‘greatness’ are reliant on a subconscious or higher state of consciousness that perhaps is less prone to a cultural or social bias – is more primordial. For instance, one of the fundamental building blocks of art; The Golden Section (which is a method of dividing a line or space in a perfectly harmonious and aesthetically pleasing way) has not changed from one culture to another or from one time frame to another. It is a rule that transcends cultural and socially specific influences but provides an aesthetic reference point for the viewer in all times and cultures. It is a rule that is outside of time and space. The Golden Section is a very simple device to illustrate the point here but this primordial connectivity to that which is beyond our normal awareness, that is outside of locale/time-frame-dependency, is, it seems something that is inherent to a significant degree only within those works of art - from all genres and forms - that we might consider are able to transcend their particular reference to the time and spatial context within which they were created. Such works as Michelangelo's 'Pieta' and Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' being classic examples.

Whether or not Paul’s work will eventually be seen in terms of ‘greatness’ only time will really tell. We are still, historically speaking at least, far too close to its birth to see what it will grow into, or whether or not it has that primordial connection to something beyond that which is immediately apparent in the world. Perhaps like the paintings of Mark Rothko the ‘greatness’ of Suicide Dictionary will eventually be measured only by its historical time-frame and the cyber-culture that promulgated the milieu from which such a work could find expression. In the end of course, it actually matters not a jot. What we have here right now, for all to read, enjoy and contemplate is a poetic collage that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the development of a new poetics for a post post-modern audience. Over to Paul:

An Interview with Paul Lonely

Paul, I want to thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview with me today. I understand that this is the first interview that you have given on your work?

Thank you for the kind introduction Steve. And yes, this is the first official interview I've agreed to participate in. I truly appreciate your interest in my work

My first question must be of course; why did you write the book and why ‘Suicide Dictionary’? Not a title that might inspire a sense of optimism or hope perhaps?

To answer the first part of your question, I must begin with a few childhood and adolescent memories. I was raised in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky which is firmly settled in what is called The Bible Belt. My parents were both avid Christians. So I was brought up, first, in the Nazarene Church of God and a little later as a Pentecostal. Nothing too over-bearing. It was just part of the conventional lifestyle of the American South. I actually enjoyed church as a youth but after a series of peak experiences that began when I was around ten, I naturally started questioning the dogmatic nature of the message I was hearing. I actually write about my first "spiritual experience" indirectly in entry number 56 in Book Two of Suicide Dictionary. When I was ten, I remember sitting in front of a garden of spring tulips on a windy day. I was just relaxing enjoying a crisp, clean afternoon when I began drifting into something that can be described like this: "The tulips are dancing...We are dancing...I am dancing...Dancing." I didn't know what had happened at the time. And when I asked my parents about it, they shrugged it off as childish babble from an imaginative young boy. I now know that that was my first experience of "nature mysticism". It felt like I had become one with all of the "external world" and the only thing left was a Verb. The Verb. I had experienced Emerson's "transparent eyeball".

"Episodes" such as this continued periodically through my teenage years. And I quickly learned not to speak about them for fear of my family and friends thinking I was "possessed" or a little "weird". When I was thirteen, I finally began secretly searching through the library for answers. I remember being scolded for bringing home a book about "World Religions" and various other works by my favorite poets. Most books, save the Bible, were firmly banned from acquiring my attention. Of course, this only fueled the fire. I began sneaking books into my room, waiting for everyone to go to sleep, and then reading by flashlight in my bed into the wee hours. I learned the story of Siddharta Gautama, I read a bit about Muhammad, Brahma and the history of religion. I even cut my teeth on Ginsberg and the Beats. All by flashlight. Those were exciting days. Although I never exactly found the answer to my question, I did find a way to make my world so much larger than it would have been otherwise. My horizons had expanded.

By the time I reached college I knew I wanted to write. But I also knew there would be hell to pay if I told my family my intentions. So I wound up majoring in biology and chemistry with plans to become a medical doctor. That was the "respectable" route to follow. Although I made good grades, I basically went through the motions during the day in regard to my "science education". But at night I continued to engage my passion for literature and philosophy and basically gave myself a degree in the humanities. During this time, I had also begun a steady Christian contemplative practice of Bible reading and prayer that I "topped off" with Zen meditation. This was all in the closet of course. Being a science major at a small Baptist college, as far as religion went, meant I had two choices: conventional mythic Christianity or flat out atheism. I admit I tried to shove myself into both camps for a period of time. I wanted them together, seeing the need for both science and spirituality. But after a time, I simply gave up and went my own way. Science seemed to deny everything internal. Christianity, as presented here, was too much of a stretch for the rational mind and seemed to shun most things external. Where was the balance?

While in college, I worked a part time job in the surgical department of a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. I mostly participated in "open heart" surgical procedures as a "heart holder". This means I was basically a human vise. I held the heart in certain positions while the surgeon attached vein grafts. Although the work of doctors is noble beyond description, I eventually decided it was not the direction I wanted my life to go. I still had the overwhelming itch to write. So rather than head directly to medical school, I accepted a scholarship to study medical ethics at Oxford. This was a very decisive and beautiful time for me. I had access to a series of wonderful libraries and for the first time in my life, I felt the freedom to be a writer and an artist and really own it. For the most part, I'm sorry to say, I neglected my ethics studies. I spent most of my time reading and writing poetry, taking long walks in the streets of Oxford dreaming about the great men who had dallied along the same cobblestone paths I was treading. I spent many late nights in conversation at the Eagle and Child and The Purple Turtle. My time at Oxford left little doubt in my mind that I had to commit my life to poetry and the advancement of literature.

After returning to the States, much to my family's chagrin, I made the announcement that I would not be attending medical school, and would instead be going back to university to study literature. I approached the president of Georgetown College, Bill Crouch, and told him my story. I told him of my spiritual background and my desire to convey it in a new style of writing. He was touched by my enthusiasm and gave me a full scholarship for a year's study. I spent this year in a love affair with modern poetry and eastern religions.

Almost immediately after the second semester was over, my suitcases filled with Joyce, Pound, Olson, and Eliot, I moved to Japan to teach English which afforded me the opportunity to obtain a better feel for the religious culture that had become so much a part of my life. Living in the seat of Zen, in a very real sense, felt like home to me. Although my dedication to "western" art and literature continued to dominate my intellectual pursuits, my spiritual life was turning more and more to the "East". By the time I left Japan, I considered myself a Zen Buddhist and was deeply dedicated to my practice of zazen.

As a brief aside, no tale of how Suicide Dictionary came to be would be complete without mentioning my mentor, Guy Davenport. Dr. Davenport was and is a world-renowned scholar, critic, writer, and artist. By the time I came to know him he had retired as a professor from the University of Kentucky and had received a MacArthur Genius Grant. Late one night during my second stint at Georgetown College, I was meandering through the library waiting for a book to catch my attention. I found one called The Jules Verne Steam Balloon. I checked it out, and spent the weekend pouring over it. I showed up Monday morning to class and asked my Irish Lit professor if she had ever heard of an author named Guy Davenport. Her response: "He was one of my advisors while I was working on my Master's. He's known to be a recluse and is intellectually intimidating. But if you want his address, I have a friend at the University of Michigan who knows it." A week later I wrote him a letter describing much of the story you've heard thus far. He responded with a short note and his phone number. I called and set up a meeting at his home. Goodness I was nervous before our first conversation! But I'm happy to say, it turned out to be one of the most fruitful intersubjective experiences of my life. We talked for twelve straight hours. Or better stated, HE talked for twelve straight hours. He showed me letters he had received from Ezra Pound, Allen Ginsberg, and Louis Zukofsky among many others. We looked at art slides and spent time critiquing his own artwork. In short it was the beginning of the most inspiring friendship I have ever known. We exchanged letters and visits throughout the final four-and-a-half years of his life. Being in relationship with Dr. Davenport and tracing the tracks he left in all his wonderful books was like graduate school for me. Plus he always gave me the vote of confidence I needed at the time to push forward with my own work. I learned so much from him about style and what it meant to live the life of an artist. And although our spiritual differences were obviously profound, his influence can still be found on every page of Suicide Dictionary. I am so grateful to have known him.

Dr. Davenport died in January of 2005. The last time I saw him was in late November 2004. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer for a while by then, and could barely speak. I remember talking to him a bit about Shakespeare and his favorite play, Love’s Labours Lost. I fed him chocolate cake (which tasted "like ashes" to him). His final words to me were, "Good luck with the Big Work."

So we've made it to early 2005. I was, once again, living in Kentucky and was nearing the completion of my first book titled Merryweather. I had been working on this book for close to three years. Much like Suicide Dictionary, I had created a fictional monastery, but this one existed in Pittsburgh in the late eighteenth century. Merryweather was the tale of 12 monks who crossed the American West approximately a decade before the Lewis and Clark expedition "officially" completed the task. It was written in much the same style as Suicide Dictionary, taking advantage of various prose and poetic forms. After close to a thousand pages and with my monks rounding into the home stretch of their journey, IT happened...

I won't go into much detail at this point, but I had my first kensho experience. Needless to say, the way I saw everything changed. My reasons for writing changed. I literally spent the entire year "seeing things" again for the first time and writing about it. Initially, my work was one designed to create a type of post post-modern literature that included, dare I say embraced, spirituality. But after this, my goals became so much deeper. I still intended to blend eastern and western thought. I still had the desire to create a dynamic spiritually inclined text. But this time I knew I must consciously point beyond mere words on a page and the ideas they invoked. But how could I do this? I decided to start with the very source of language itself. The dictionary. I would re-define every word in the dictionary as I now "understood" them. And tell a story in the process.

So one evening, a cold winter night in Kentucky, I tossed everything I had ever written into the fire (and deleted everything from my computer)...a suicide if you will; and started on my dictionary, Suicide Dictionary. That's how the name came about. Every mystical religious tradition has terminology that means something like "dying to the self" or "killing the ego". Burning those pages represented, for me, a death of sorts. I was no longer writing for what was once called "me". I felt a much greater sense of responsibility. Suicide Dictionary became an axle on the wheel of my bodhisattva vows.

Once again, an aside. This time for the other great mentor in my life. After finishing Book One of Suicide Dictionary, I decided to send a copy to American philosopher, Ken Wilber, as a kind of thank you card expressing my gratitude for his influence on my life and work. I didn't include an email address, phone number, or return address. Just a copy of my writing and a brief note. Somehow Ken's personal assistant, Colin Bigelow, found my phone number on the internet and contacted me. He invited me to Denver to visit with Ken and the Integral Institute folks. It was an amazing week. Ken was very cordial and encouraged the continuation of Suicide Dictionary. I flew home, wrote fifty sonnets, and decided I was ready to publish a small portion of my work. That work was released to the world last month.

So what is the book about and could you describe a little about the form through which the narrative is delivered? It’s not a straightforward prose story by any means. You have described in your writing how each entry in the book falls into one of four categories and that each has a four-fold purpose. Could you explain a little about this?

Here's the blurb I gave in a preface to the book (but don't be fooled by this short description): "The setting for Suicide Dictionary is a monastery named Rainbow Abbey which is located on an island in the North Atlantic called Ambrojjio. This island was discovered in 1453 ce and donated, later in the same year, to the Catholic Church. Pope Nicholas V (the first humanist Pope) used the land to erect a secret monastery for an artist colony of monk-poets he employed to formulate what he called a “prophetic” or “inspired” document to be published in the year 2050. This artist colony (now called the Order of Quantum Catholics) has survived to the present day (2007) and still employs monk-poets who remain hard at work on this “prophetic” document which has now been titled Quantum Psalter."

As I stated in my answer to the previous question, the book is a literature of perspectives written and presented in the form of a dictionary. I literally started with the first word or letter in my Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and worked my way forward. I deliver the work as a series of dialogues (between current Quantum Catholics), direct prose statements, free-standing poems, and journal entries.

Each entry is, first off, a definition for the corresponding word. The "I-space" if you will. Each entry also houses a morsel of "integral philosophy" which I think of as the "We-space". My intention is also to supply information that develops the main story line in regard to Rainbow Abbey and Quantum Psalter, both linear and non-linear. This is the "It-space". And finally, each "definition" is a trans-rational pointing exercise designed to be read, studied, and contemplated as a contemporary koan.

My understanding is that the narrative is very much a vehicle to carry a philosophic and spiritually or religiously inclusive message. For me it seems that the message resonates deeply with what seems to be a modern dilemma in terms of the integration of multiple approaches and disciplines and spiritual concepts. All of these make the claim to have the answers to humanity’s age old questions on the meaning and purpose of life. Michael Garfield touched upon this in an article that appears in your book when he said that ‘as a generation, we stand before a global buffet of stories – of myths – an unprecedented panoply of cultural richness’. It is a dilemma isn’t it? Could you talk about this a little perhaps?

I think the first thing we have to do is step back and not paint everyone with such a broad brush. I would say, yes, there's definitely a dilemma. But the dilemma is caught in a spectrum of interpretive structures and perspectives. Which means the word "dilemma" has hermeneutic layers unseen by most people. The trick is to attempt understanding how each "wave of consciousness" is viewing this problem and then supplying an adequate framework that not only empowers them to engage the healthiest form of their structure but also encourages their evolution to more advanced stages.

For example, for most people nested in a "mythical worldview" the dilemma is the fact that everyone, for the most part, outside of their chosen group is destined to burn in hell. The very nature of evolution causes more and more desperation because more information, more injunctions, more theories only mean more potential distractions from their dogmatic assertions. The rational mind becomes a threat. The modern and post-modern world, in general, becomes a threat. The secular grim reaper lurks at every corner.

And no wonder, because people operating from a "rational or modern worldview" spend their days debunking some of the aspects of the mythical by activating and promoting their new god of logic and scientific method. The dilemma here is no longer a question of sinners and saints. Life is no longer a trial period for the judgment of heaven or hell. The raison d'etre at this higher level of development is to loosen the grip and remain free from the clutches of religion providing space to find proof, authentic proof, for logically-based questions. The pathological dilemma at this stage, of course, is the removal of interiority completely. Most moderns simply cannot see how narrow their worldview is. Everything, including their minds and souls (if you will) is simply reduced to an "It". The "I-space" ceases to exist as anything other than a meat machine.

And then there's the "post-modern" worldview that relies heavily on the "We-space". Which is also an interior experience and thus rejected by the moderns. However, the po-mos are able to out-flank their "predecessors" by pointing out that everyone, scientists included, are firmly embedded in a smorgasboard of contexts. An infinity of contexts. Although this is obviously a valuable insight, holding this view alone while excluding the "I" of religion and the "It" of science naturally has its own set of pathological tendencies.

Which brings us to the "integral" or post post-modern or "second tier" worldview. People operating from this level of consciousness are able to objectify and therefore operate on all previously-held structures or waves. They literally transcend and include the archaic, tribal, warrior, traditional, modern and post-modern worldviews. A profound result of using this interpretive software is that the dilemma of our "global buffet" of information no longer seems so intimidating. Suddenly there's a place for nearly everything! The need to shrink from abundance becomes unthinkable. There's room for the valuable subjective insights of religion. There's room for the logic and rationality of scientists gleaning insights into our objective world. And there's also room for the insights of post-modernism in regard to the value of intersubjectivity. All three of these knowledge spheres are true but partial. Once again, the "I-space", the "It-space", and the "We-space"; the subjective, the objective, and the intersubjective; the beautiful, the true, and the good. Thankfully differentiated. All partially true. But from my perspective, undeniably co-arising.

Here's sonnet 47 from Book One of Suicide Dictionary (which basically repeats what I've written above):

Vacationing Shiva to Eden is driven
To wither the Apples and poison the Pears;
For now he’s assuming his Group is the given,
Exposing the Fear that mythology wears.
Although this is common with Gods at this level,
Shiva progressed and to Mecca was flown;
Transcending the Kaaba he out-grew the devil,
All Muslims were Human with Rights of their own.
A Relative Storm then swirled into action,
By limiting Apples the Pears could persist;
These Angels united in one massive faction,
Returning to Eden no truth could exist.
All three of these world-views are partial but true,
I’m embracing all three…
but transforming them too.

You’ve tried to provide an answer to all of this with your book and you’ve thrown an awful lot into the melting pot in distilling universal truths for the modern age. I think on many levels there is some truth in what Michael Garfield has pointed out as being a major theme of your work, in that religious symbolism; which is one of the doors through which we can go to experience or gain insight and unification with Truth, is actually fossilized and embedded within a cultural matrix to which we have no clear and conscious connection other than the historically or culturally, and socially-specific. Is there a role in the modern age, do you think, for the great religions of the world anymore? I am thinking particularly of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

To answer the first part of this question (which really wasn't a question), I'm sure Michael Garfield understands that all "Truth" is embedded within a cultural matrix. But there are also other parts of the essay that easily show Michael has moved beyond an obsessively post-modern worldview. He is not attempting to absolutize the true but partial notion of a "cultural matrix" which can easily send one to the seas of an unhealthy relativity and the well-known performative contradiction: "There is no such thing as truth." In Garfield's essay at his visionary music blog he writes that Suicide Dictionary is "blindingly aware of its own cultural embeddedness and laughing at it compassionately." Which means he saw the monks at Rainbow Abbey were doing far more than attempting to deconstruct everything based on the inevitable fact of interpretation. The Quantum Catholics he speaks of are saying, "Sure there's a cultural matrix. But so what? Does that mean we can allow this discovery to completely dissociate from the immediate experience of the "I" as well as the exterior or objective world?" At Rainbow Abbey, there are just more seats at the table.

I also want to take a quick second to address your statement, "...religious symbolism [is] one of the doors through which we can go to experience or gain insight and unification with Truth." I agree that religious symbolism can be, and is, necessary. But equally important, I think, is religious EXPERIENCE. Signs and symbols, of course, are highly valuable and help us engage the "We-space" (i.e., communicate). But let's not forget (or deny) the first person "I" of immediate awareness, which can be authentically explored by using meditative and contemplative injunctions from all our great religious traditions.

Now to the question, "Is there a role for these great religious traditions anymore?"

First off, the word "anymore" is used in a way that mildly suggests that religion is "just getting in the way" in the contemporary world. It seems to me that when you use the word "religion" here, you mean traditional religion. And I'll answer that question shortly. But before I do I think we must understand that there is also archaic religion, tribal religion, modern religion, post-modern religion, and now integral religion. So when one asks if there is a role for religion to play, they must be more specific and tell which level of religion they are referring to. If you're interested in this developmental description of religion, my good friend, Dustin DiPerna recently finished a book called Infinite Ladder, describing all the different stages of religious interpretation as they have appeared (and do appear) in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. (See: Infinite Ladder)

From my perspective, traditional religion is performing an absolutely vital role in the contemporary world. Around 50% of the world's population is still nested in a more mythical or conventional framework. Which means 50% of the world's population still needs traditional forms of religion. That, in and of itself, is reason enough to respect and appreciate what some may view as a "simplistic" or "dogmatic" approach to religion. What some (most?) moderns and post-moderns need to realize is there are healthy forms of mythical religious expression. Sure, modern law should step in and keep pathological forms of traditional religion in check. But it should also help provide as healthy a space as possible for traditional consciousness to maneuver and hopefully evolve.

Another important point is that "higher, deeper forms of consciousness" would not be possible without first evolving "through" some sort of traditional framework. Everyone is born at square one (for convenience sake let's say "archaic") and has the potential to evolve to "higher" stages. To learn more about what these particular stages entail, go to Steve McIntosh's site. My guess is that most people reading this will be able to identify the periods in their lives where they were operating at different stages of consciousness or what Ken Wilber calls altitudes. And since research has and is showing that it is impossible to skip stages, in order for the evolution of consciousness to continue, there needs to be some sort of functional form of traditional structure to be transcended and included. Which means that one of the values of traditional religion today is the fact they are supplying a HUGE platform for the evolution of consciousness. Try to remove it...and the whole pyramid (or spiral) will crash.

Here's a small excerpt cut from a prose entry I wrote for Book 3, Semiotic Butterflies (my current work):

----Actually, their [traditional religion's] work is far from being complete, Issak Kidwell responds. Many of our brothers and sisters are still hampered by third world conditions and are unconsciously begging for a more comprehensive belief system to be established which could possibly be supported by donations of industrial gold. And besides that, Issak Kidwell adds, it should go without saying that this downloading of a more conventional software, whether it be an unhealthy concentration on one’s country or religion, has provided and is providing a form of spiritual sustenance and emotional framework for a plethora of souls, including children, in developed nations as well.

How do we resolve this contemporary Western penchant for a potpourri approach to spirituality with the clear and concise wisdom teachings of those religions and schools of thought that have been passed down through the ages, which are very specific in many ways? There is very much a sense in your book that you embrace all of these traditions and weigh them equally alongside the more rational and scientific approach.

I weigh them (science and religion) equally because they're lighting up different dimensions or aspects of the Kosmos. All mystical traditions (most of which are attached to a "major" religion) have developed wonderful ways of exploring our interior dimensions. The "rational scientific approach" has developed wonderful ways of exploring the exterior dimensions. At Rainbow Abbey, both can sit at the same table because science cannot exist without the interior experiences of scientists. And mysticism or meditative self-inquiry cannot exist without the "material" that makes up the precious human body. All exterior dimensions have a correlating interiorness. And all interiors have a correlating exteriorness. Quarks to atoms to molecules to cells and all the way up to human bodies and brains.

And, yes, there's a Western penchant (mostly from a post-modern structure) for a potpourri approach to "spirituality" (I put that word in quotes because there are at least half a dozen proper definitions). Maybe this approach works for some people. But from my own experience, it has been valuable to intellectually know about the history and process of all the great mystical traditions while choosing one to authentically practice and explore more deeply. Like Ken Wilber has said, "Chase two rabbits, catch neither."

How does this pertain to Suicide Dictionary? Well, by having the Quantum Catholics embrace all religious traditions, they simultaneously embrace none. Two sides of the same coin. And this is where I would have Taft Merryweather (my protagonist of sorts) step in, grab me by the nose, and exclaim: "Mr. Lonely, what coin?!!"

Here's another sonnet from Book One of Suicide Dictionary:

I laugh at this body, Impermanence near,
It’s more like a Bubble than Statue in might;
Still I’m in awe that my figure is Here,
I cherish it now as a Basis for Light.
Engaging two eyes, three Jewels may appear,
If Buddha and Sangha and Dharma you trust;
Or maybe I cry showing God is a Tier,
Which triggers all Buddhas to freely combust.
The stroke down my cheek is the glaze from a snail,
It glistens from laughter and sadness alive;
But Fire is the Ground and it burns without fail,
Before and then after my carcass has died.
Wholesome are deeds in respect to the norm,
Form is my Empty…
and Empty my Form.

We have touched upon some pretty heavy-weight subjects here, but actually Suicide Dictionary is in many respects very playful and full of the sort of Monty Python-esque absurdities that actually stop you in your tracks for a minute and provide that sort of space between thoughts where you are not quite clear what on earth is going on anymore! For instance, the monks that drive the story are called the ‘Order of Quantum Catholics’. It’s a great name that I wish I had thought of myself, but in its humour the book does in fact throw up, via this effortless conjoining of seemingly disparate elements all sorts of resonances. There is as you have stated in your writing a union of modern western intellectual and eastern philosophic thought and for me this is clearly indicated by some of the rather uniquely collaged elements within the book; the name ‘Quantum Catholics’ being merely one of them. Historically, at least that small portion of history that belongs to the modern era, there has been a war of ideas between the right and left hemispheres of the brain in which the high ground of reality-defining has been fought over. What are your thoughts on this and how have you tried to bring peace between the warring camps in your book? Was there ever a need for a war in the first place? Aren’t both camps not merely trying to uncover the mysteries of existence?

I'll answer the first part of your question with an excerpt from Book 2:

----Religion attempts to be scientific, Abbot Ezra says to Taft Merryweather.
----And science attempts to be philosophic, Taft Merryweather responds.
----And philosophy attempts to be religious, Simon Warner says to Abbot Ezra.
----All three are guilty of category errors, Abbot Ezra says. They strive to place their lens over the improper Eye.
----Science, Dale Rutherford says, sees the world through the Eye of Flesh which is empirical and monological.
----Philosophy, Abe Hendrik says, sees the world through the Eye of Reason which is rational and dialogical.
----Religion, Martin Fugat says, sees the world through the Eye of Contemplation which is mystical and translogical.
----So science, Silas Paul says, should stay within the boundaries of empirical fact.
----And philosophy, Issak Kidwell says, should stay within the boundaries of philosophical and psychological insight.
----Which leaves religion, Gordon Flannery says, to stay within the boundaries of spiritual wisdom.

Unfortunately, the modern "war" you speak of was definitely necessary. It was and is a very important part of our evolution of consciousness. At one point in history, the Good, the True and the Beautiful or morals, science, and art were undifferentiated and hanging simultaneously under the umbrella of traditional religion. Which means religion, by itself, controlled all forms of knowledge.

What the modern age was able to do was differentiate these three knowledge spheres and then for the most part lay claim to the True, which I equate with the objective world. They fought for the space science needed to operate and perform the necessary injunctions. Traditional religion was no longer allowed to make claims about the nature of the exterior universe without proof. Which is obviously a step forward.

The sad part about all this is that, even today, we see many brilliant men and women, our "educated elite", attempting to push and then hold all knowledge under the umbrella of science or the True. What about the Good and the Beautiful? Don't they deserve the proper injunctions? This reductionism is very similar to the mistake traditional religion made. From my perspective, it's just a different form of dogma.

Are these two camps you speak of trying to uncover the same mysteries of existence? For me, if I have to put this into language, God has two faces. The manifest and the unmanifest. The manifest world, in turn, has Three Eyes. The Good, the True, and the Beautiful. So if you're speaking of the unmanifest world, then I'd probably answer yes (even if they're doing so unconsciously). But if you're speaking of the manifest world, then I'd say, for the most part, no.

So how does this all tie with your stated aim of creating a contemporary Upanishads? The Upanishads have been called “…the highest philosophy ever conceived by the human mind.” Would you agree with this? Is there a conscious connection between the formal structure of Suicide Dictionary as you have described it and the Upanishads?

I wouldn't get too hung up on my connections with the Upanishads. It could be said just as easily that I'm creating the beginnings of a contemporary Bible, Qur'an, or Tao Te Ching. Like Michael suggested, my aim is to create an adequate myth for the coming integral age while at the same time consciously pointing to something greater where the myth, the myth-maker, and myth-interpreter "disappear into Bright White Light".

In honor of the origin of the Upanishads, here's an excerpt from Book 2:

----My tongue and my lips could have made pink strips for the landing of the wettest rain.
----And my hands, although small, could have warped steel beams into the dew that perks up on a morning basilica.
----But wrinkles in my skin had begun to emerge into a mid-life altar-call.
----And thoughts of duration had begun to un-fold as a nuisance in my attic and crawl-space of time.
----So I, a Quantum Catholic, settled like a manufactured gnome in the garden of my choice.
----And after dipping sour tongs into the instincts of local carnivores, I constructively wallowed in an outward monotony--
----Which for me was creative.
----Like I lived in the veins of a sun-flower.
----For five deceptive years, being tethered to this hermitage was identity.
----And now that it’s gone, even the birds in flight are an un-steady carapace for the beautiful.
----I stepped from the deck and saw Light in the river.
----But the river stayed murky.
----Like the cream in the color of an English tea.
----Then I wandered to the bank and saw fish in the river.
----But the fish stayed the color of a Japanese tea.
----So I dropped to the grass and saw myself in the river.
----But my image disappeared.
----Like the taste of the water in an Indian tea.
----Being planted in the Abbey was like candy to my leaves.
----It turned my mind into the wings of a whiskey-soaked butterfly.
----But living like a tree is a butter-scotch reality.
----A cinnamon solution.
----For a pepper-mint dream.

We have touched upon and picked up strands of integral theory here and I guess that it is worth spending some time looking at this. Theoretical psychologist and philosopher Ken Wilber who has written a number of books on Integral Theory and Spirituality and who is the founder of the Integral Institute has said, in reference to an integral spirituality that “…it would be based on what seem to be universal human capacities to interface with the Divine. It would be inclusive and comprehensive…” Wilber goes on to suggest that those essential elements within the various religious or spiritual doctrines, which are common factors, are the elements upon which an integral spirituality can be founded. He suggests that as they are common factors that, perhaps we are hard-wired for them, That they are almost imprinted within us and that they find expression through our cultural, social or religious contexts, which is why they ultimately take on so many different flavours. But Wilber doesn’t restrict this inclusiveness in pursuing a relationship with the Divine to religion or spirituality does he?

I'll let Ken speak for himself. Here's a link to a great description of Integral Spirituality at One Mind Village.

Here's an excerpt from Book Two that pertains to his question:

Communal breakfast at the dining hall.
----See Muhammad, slay Muhammad! Taft Merryweather spontaneously shouts into Silas Paul’s ear pouring milk over his cereal.
The Quantums at the table snicker in amusement.
----Is that Muslim Zen? Silas Paul asks facetiously.
----What’s Zen? Taft Merryweather replies. Every copy of the Qur’an is ashes.
----I understand that, Silas Paul says with gusto. You’re pointing to the fact that imitation is slavery.
----Fact? Taft Merryweather asks bewildered. Who are you?
Taft Merryweather grabs his copy of the Koran and deposits it into Silas Paul’s lap.
----All modes of life need independence to grow, Silas Paul says. A living truth can never be fixed into a formula, creed, or catechism.
----See Yeshua, murder Yeshua! Taft Merryweather shouts.
----That’s the beauty of your updating trans-Benedictine monastic law, Silas Paul says to Taft. It becomes available to us only as we give ourselves to it.
Taft Merryweather snatches his Coran from Silas Paul’s lap.
----Freedom is neither compulsive nor conforming, Silas Paul says. Living creatively goes beyond formality.
Silas Paul pushes Taft’s bundle of literature causing it to slam onto the floor.
----See the Buddha, kill the Buddha! Taft Merryweather shouts.

I think it is also interesting to note in relation to Wilber’s ideas about an inclusive spirituality that, certainly as far as the Upanishads are concerned, that a Muslim sufi Dara Shikho actually attempted a formulation of an inclusive spirituality between Islam and Hinduism when he translated some of the Upanishads into Persian. He was searching for elements of monotheism to forge a common mystical bond I believe. Is there a sense then that perhaps what Wilber sets forth is not actually that new a concept? Is this early attempt at an integral spirituality something that you were aware of in any way?

In short, I doubt that Dara Shikho was integral. He probably had access to advanced states but not the integral structure. He may have tapped into the post-modern structure MAYBE (which would make him HIGHLY advanced for his period in history) but I don't know enough about his work to make an accurate judgment. Just because one is "blending" religions does not make one integral spiritually speaking.

It strikes me that perhaps, in spite of the enthusiasm being expressed at the moment about the emergence of integral theory and its artistic offspring, that in time integral theory itself might, in being the product of a particular era, be seen as embedded within a culturally and historically specific moment and thus not relevant perhaps to future generations. For instance, the work of the American Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, who for me painted some of the most sublime and spiritually evocative painting of the last century and more, is seen now as being very much a part of the modernist agenda of the 1950’s. In spite of the its overthrow of accepted canons of its day, it no longer speaks to us with that unique voice which made it so powerful at the time. It has in a sense become weighed down by its own moment in history. Is not the whole of integral theory one day in danger of being seen like Rothko as embedded deeply in a specific point in time? Can Integral Theory or an Integral Arts, transcend that historical embedded ness do you think? This is after all where contemporary art historical interpretations are leading with the idea that all great work is actually deeply embedded within its social and cultural context.

One day integral will be ‘old news’ and just another rung on the ladder (or structure to evolve THROUGH before getting to higher, deeper interpretive structures). In no way is integral the final word. I'm BEGGING for someone to pull this integral rug out from under me and show me something more "complete".

Much of your book is written in the present tense, which, in eschewing literary convention, has the effect of placing the reader squarely on the precipice of the eternal now. It seems to me that this should in fact be a pretty scary place to be without the normal anchors of attachment that keep us from falling into the unknown. In building your collage of moments devoid of a conventional sequencing of time there is in some sense a movement from point A to point B that helps to locate the reader in almost-familiar territory, yet without giving up a claim to staying in the moment. Could you talk a little about what your reasoning was behind the way that you constructed the time-frame for the book? Is there not a sense in which drawing on the past and projecting into the future provides not only a more comfortable literary convention for the reader, but also helps to organize information as gathered and use it to make sense of what is to come?

I'm not completely disregarding the rational mind and its "needs." I realize the value of rationality and supply more than enough for the rational mind to make sense of the storyline. But I also don't want the reader to get hung up on "where the story's going." I want the reader to be present with my work NOW. How will it end? Where did it begin? RIGHT NOW!

For those readers who don’t know, Suicide Dictionary is actually based on the Webster’s Dictionary. Each entry in your book taking as its starting point the entries in Webster’s. Suicide Dictionary covers only the first 100 entries of Webster’s Dictionary however; divided into two chapters each of 50 entries. What about the rest of the dictionary? How do you see this progressing in the future? Will there be more volumes to this work and how many, and how long will it take to complete do you think?

If possible, I'd like to finish the "A" section (or at least a large portion) of the dictionary myself. Which means there should be a few more volumes. Of course, there are the challenges of "everyday life". I lived on less than $500 dollars a month while writing Volume One.

If anyone reading this knows of grants or ways I can find financial support, please don't hesitate to contact me through my website at www.suicidedictionary.com.

I created Suicide Dictionary as a platform for the exploration of all facets of post post-modern or integral art. I am currently involved in an art project with artist Todd Guess. He is creating a series of illuminations based on the sonnets in Book One. Posters and canvases are already available at www.SDIExperience.com. Talented musician, Michael Garfield is also currently writing the Liturgy of the Quantum Heart on a Chapman Stick. Eventually, we would like to exhibit all this work together. And, of course, I would like to open the project to other writers with a similar vision.

Thanks Paul! It has been truly inspiring to talk with you and I am sure that it is much appreciated by the many readers that in due course, I am sure are going to be rushing out to buy your book which, for me at least seems destined to become a classic.

Finally for those readers that are interested in your work, could you give some details on publication date and how they can get a copy and do you have a website address that they could visit to find out more?

It was released November 30 of 2007. To purchase it, please visit my website, and click the proper link.

Bounden thanks for the support.

Paul Lonely

A Brief Introduction to the Upanishads

The Upanishads, in all their shades of complexity and the permeable nature of their interpretation, ultimately have one simple message that the fundamental nature of the Godhead – ‘Brahman’ – is the same as our fundamental nature or ‘Atman’. The Brahma Sutra which provides a commentary on the Upanishads makes it clear that studying the Upanishads and discovering their full meaning will lead to enlightenment or realization of God. What we find within is the same as what we find without in a sense – the two are the same.

Upanishad means the inner or mystic teaching. In the forest hermitages, the great thinkers would contemplate those concerns and problems that had a bearing on the spiritual advancement of humankind. They would pass their discoveries on to their most advanced students – the secret doctrines thus passing from one generation to another. One way of interpreting the word Upanishad is as ‘brahma-knowledge’. Thus the Upanishads can be seen as the catalyst by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed. Upanishad can be looked at in terms of its elements also to get a clear understanding of the term: upa means ‘near’, ni means ‘down’ and s(h)ad means ‘to sit’. So Upanishad is the act of sitting near to the teacher to receive the secret teaching that will enable you to destroy ignorance. The Upanishads give us both philosophical argument and spiritual vision.

The Future Tense of Now

Since the publication of the first volume of Suicide Dictionary, artist Todd Guess, also associated with the Integral agenda has begun to work with Paul on an illuminated version of his book. Like many great spiritual works of the past – the earliest known of which date back as far as AD 400, Suicide Dictionary is being held up as a tome that is worthy of this painstaking work. Due to the time and cost of illumination this process has historically and generally been the preserve of only those texts considered of great social or spiritual importance (the Lindisfarne Gospels for instance). The SDIE (Suicide Dictionary: Illumination Experience) is possibly best described in Paul’s words:

Avant garde artist Todd Guess and I recently embarked on a project called Suicide Dictionary: Illumination Experience. Todd and I are using the process of illuminating these sonnets as an engine for discovering, developing, and demonstrating, by way of integral life practice, new and explicitly spiritual art forms, as well as an invitation for the world-community to become involved in a deep inquiry about the nature of post post-modern art. Post-modern art, for the most part, has created a large vacuum that is now begging to be filled. Most of those calling themselves post post-modern seem to be merely identifying the ironic nature of the post-moderns without supplying viable alternatives. The art-work that will be birthed from this project is intended to represent the beginnings of Art for the Integral Age; an art that can begin to plug the aforementioned vacuum by offering the method and substance for authentic vertical transformation.

Todd and I plan to finish one sonnet per month until the series is complete. An interesting style note: Each illumination in the series will include content from all preceding illuminations. Try to imagine where this could go by the time we reach sonnet #50. Exciting huh?

Todd and I would like to offer you a rare opportunity to catch an early peek at what we are seeing as a bright new future for art. A website has been launched and holds the beginnings of our vision, including posters and limited edition canvases. Just as Suicide Dictionary is being called "a new genre of literature", Todd and I feel we are breaking new ground on the visual art front. The energy for an Integral Renaissance is tangible.

As mystics without monastaries, we truly appreciate your support. The proceeds…(from the sales of the works)… will be used to fund the continued development of this project as well as other endeavors on the frothy edge of artistic evolution (for instance: a handful of musicians have already begun translating the sonnets into music!!)

The first and so far only painting in the series is shown here. The following description for this piece is taken from the SDIE website where you can also find a good description of the overall project goals and aspirations:

A prayer and call for the world to open a more passionate interreligious discourse, Sonnet A points to the reunion of feminine and masculine modes of Love as an essential starting ground. We see not two angels here, but a perfect singularity of opposites, ascending and descending on wings that unfold along spectrums of distinctions.

This project is of course in an even earlier stage of growth than that of the Suicide Dictionary poetic project itself. What is clear here however is that Todd Guess has embraced a spiritually inclusive agenda that has a deep symbolic resonance with not only illuminated works of the past, but also with much religious stained glass work that can be seen in cathedrals and churches across the whole of Europe. The difference here of course is that you are not going to find a church or a Bible, any more than you are gong to find a mosque or a Qu’ran with images of semi-clad, religious symbol smothered figures in the throes of apparent sexual communion. Look to India and elsewhere for this imagery. But also look to the West. What we have in this primary work of Todd’s is Conan the Barbarian as a Muslim Bodhisattva. There is a powerful harking back to the Western fantasy/populist art of the 1970’s and Boris Vallejo’s stunning depictions of warrior princesses, barbarians, demons and semi-clad nymphs riding majestic unicorns. A fantasy time that is actually deeply embedded in that part of the Western psyche that harks back to a pagan medievalism, replete with its own spiritual and social icons.

It will be interesting to see just where this project leads. If you would like to see the work of some others associated with the emergence of this Integral art, you could perhaps take a look at the following websites which will give you a much more complete picture of the movement. I would particularly draw your attention to the work of Michael Garfield who is working with Paul on a musical interpretation of Suicide Dictionary using the little known Chapman Stick. Details will, I am sure, be posted on the websites below as they become available.

Suicide Dictionary Illumination Experience

Infinite Ladder

Michael Garfield

Steve McIntosh

MySpace/Rainbow Abbey

Finally, a piece from Volume Two of Suicide Dictionary that was previously published on Ken Wilber’s blog:

Paul Lonely again:

The first book of volume two is titled 'Semiotic Butterflies'. It highlights the 'differences' between 'the Butterfly' (every-present Ground) and 'the butterflies' (manifest world, including thoughts and feelings...ie I can observe my thoughts therefore I am not my thoughts etc). This book also gives my interpretation of the four quadrants using a series of 50 poems/conversations titled with the corresponding label Ken Wilber gave to the level of development. If you look at the way Ken designed/labeled the four quadrants, there are approximately 12 levels per quadrant...which equals 48 poems. My opening poem describes where the cross-hairs intersect; a point I titled the 'embryonic butterfly' (a symbol for the beginnings of the manifest world). The book will close with Taft describing the experience of 'the Butterfly' and 'the butterflies' as being NOT TWO (the 50th poem)...concluding Book 3.

Semiotic Butterflies

101 ¹abortifacient

With his folded legs distinctly placed in the soft-worn grooves of an underlying cushion, Taft Merryweather envisioned the outlines of butterflies (spiritual, cultural, and scientific) while activating the ever-present energy of Enlightened Heart. At the outset the magic of these butterflies was the size of a closed fist, a contracted potential that hibernated on the petals of an endless flower still somewhat confusedly trapped in the confines of what he perceived as his precious human body and mind. The concrete surface of these all-pervading insects had no particular face, no particular gender, and no particular color other than a continuous glittering of rainbow lights back-shadowed by a pinkish haze caused by the natural superimposition of the butterflies over Taft’s beating heart. For forty-nine exhilarating days and nights, Taft Merryweather contemplated the existence (and non-existence) of these butterflies.
----Each moment he felt the insects were more alive, Abbot Ezra says.
The Butterfly!
----Though he himself was happily dying.

²abortifacient

----According to the wisdom traditions, Taft Merryweather says, the entire process of evolution or un-folding could never occur without a prior process of involution or in-folding. Not only can the higher not be explained in terms of the lower, and not only does the higher not actually emerge out of the lower, but the reverse of both of those is true. The lower dimensions or levels are actually sediments or deposits of the higher dimensions, and only find their meaning because of the higher dimensions of which they are a stepped-down or diluted version. Before evolution or the unfolding of Spirit can occur, involution or the infolding of Spirit must occur; the higher successively steps down into the lower. Thus, the higher levels appear to emerge out of the lower levels during evolution--for example, life appears to emerge out of matter--because, and only because, they were first deposited there by involution. One cannot get the higher out of the lower unless the higher were already there in potential waiting to emerge.
Abe Hendrik questions Taft about the butterflies.
----That Butterfly didn’t have to implant, Taft Merryweather says to the other Quantums. It’s like a pre-existing ultimate mushroom.
----It seems that way, Abbot Ezra says. Outside of time with no roots, no seeds, and no flowers.
----But this butterfly, the embryonic butterfly, Taft Merryweather says, was able to implant in the confines of a physical womb.
Welcome to the manifest realm.
----And thus began the practice of a festive unfolding.

³abortifacient

----The Butterfly and Merryweather were novices together, Abe Hendrik says.
----Their chores their thoughts their religions…
and even the soft-ness of their bodies
were exactly the same.
----According to the butterflies, Martin Fugat says:
How any other way could it be?
----The latter is more ancient than he remembers,
while the former is age itself.

----We, as the Butterfly, know this.
----Around the corner is always around the bend.
----Never quite making it is the story.
----But all the world in every moment
has so much to choose from. And every new world
is a choice and a moment
consisting of the Butterfly.

----Which for Taft was a sparkling montage of glittering replicas.
----Replicas encapsulated in the upper and lower reaches
of what for most had become a temporary series
of unaware nascent rituals.
----So how does the Butterfly feel about butterflies?
----Unable to be reclusive but completely alone.

102 ¹abortion

Dale Rutherford, Martin Fugat and Gordon Flannery fluttering prematurely through the doors of the Quantum Zendo.
----In its most stable condition called the ground state, Martin Fugat says, an atom contains a minimum amount of energy.
----However, Dale Rutherford says, when an atom is exposed to an outside source of energy, it may absorb some of it momentarily before birthing it again into the world as a form of light. An atom containing more than the ground-state energy is said to be in an excited state.
Dale Rutherford contemplates the conception of a rainbow.
----Such excitation can be produced, Gordon Flannery says, by high temperatures or by other sources such as electric sparks, arcs, electron bombardment, electromagnetic radiation, or even the energy from chemical reactions. Ordinarily an atom remains in an excited state only a fraction of a second, then returns to its normal energy state by emitting the excess energy as light.
Dale Rutherford begins to contemplate the impossible death of a rainbow.
----When light so produced, Dale Rutherford says, is dispersed by a prism or diffraction grating, the spectrum formed is observed to be discontinuous, composed of discrete lines, of definite wavelength.

²abortion

Silas Paul and Taft Merryweather discussing Quantum Convent, the Virgin Mary, Kwan Yin, Shakti and the legendary products of Adam and Eve.
----God distends the belly of every woman, Silas Paul says.
----Therefore, Taft Merryweather responds, in a higher sense, birth is not necessary.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

The Ripple Effect

2007-12-16T18:13:00.000-05:00

"Become loving. When you are in the embrace, become the embrace. Become the kiss. Forget yourself so totally that you can say, “I am no more. Only love exists.” Then the heart is not beating, but love is beating. Then the blood is not circulating, but love is circulating. Then eyes are not seeing, love is seeing. Then hands are not moving to touch, love is moving to touch. Become love and enter everlasting life. Love suddenly changes your dimension. You are thrown out of time and you are facing eternity. Love can become a deep meditation, the deepest possible.” - Osho

Released last week to coincide with the 12:12 Mass Meditation (see blog post below), ‘The Ripple Effect’ is Humanity Healing’s most important visual statement so far in it’s call for all to engage with the principles of Spiritual Activism in tackling the root causes of suffering and distress in the world.

Drop a pebble in a still pond and watch the ripple travel out in an ever expanding ring.

The Ripple Effect is based on the understanding that we are all connected. These connections stretch like an incredibly interwoven and complicated tapestry. Each of us exists within this tapestry. Thoughts and actions are like stones dropped in a pond and they create ripples that travel outward.

Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives and their reactions in turn affect others. The choices you make have far-reaching consequences. Each of us carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. We can use the Principles of the Ripple Effect to magnify our actions and their effects.

The video of ‘The Ripple Effect’ is very much a visual centerpiece statement of that which motivates and guides Humanity Healing. It is a statement of the philosophic Mission to which Humanity Healing subscribes and sees itself empowering others to fulfill. Within every single one of us lays the seed from which profound changes in the world can begin to germinate, grow and eventually blossom. Whether these changes empower humankind and thus lead to a better world for all or whether they dis-empower and become destructive in the world is for each one of us to choose. It is the goal of Humanity Healing to ensure that as many people as possible are empowered to make positive choices and thus positive changes in the world and where possible to bring those people together. Positive effects; positive ripples. Only in this way can the world become more than the sum of its parts. Only in this way can we all begin to live in peace and harmony.

The goal of the Humanity Healing Foundation is to search out viable and sustainable solutions to some of the challenges facing Humanity and to resolve these through the application of Spiritual Activism.

Humanity Healing is not just about spreading the message of love and hope through pretty ethereal words. Whilst these have their place and are wonderful expressions of a heartfelt yearning for more beauty, more compassion, more justice and more love in the world, there is also a desperate need for action. Words and images are the clay of ideas but ideas are of no use unless they lead to action. Humanity Healing and its many members are committed to not only finding solutions to some of the world’s problems but also to taking action to implement them. Spiritual Activism on the basis of The Ripple Effect is fundamentally what Humanity Healing is about and we invite ALL of you to join us in this mission and the fulfillment of this goal. Make positive choices for yourself and others and then take action. Do something. Be the change. Be the pebble that sends out ripples of empowerment.

We are connected.
The Pond is the World,
Your Heart is the Pebble,
Drop a pebble in a still pond and watch the ripple travel out in an ever expanding ring
with every Heartbeat.

We must all strive to live that which Osho has so eloquently stated above. As the heart is the pebble, let that pebble be love and as we throw it into the world, we can create ripples of love that will create more ripples of love and so on and so on. When we combine our efforts the ripples become huge waves that wash over the face of humanity, cleansing and renewing. Let the world be full of ripples of love. Love in action. Be the change. Be the Ripple. Be Love and in this way we can make a difference. Let your ripples of individual commitment and action combine with those of others to produce a wave. We are all connected. When you go to the grocery store you buy food grown by other people. When you sit on a chair you sit on something designed and created by other people. When you go to work, you travel in a car built by other people along roads laid by others and arrive at a place built by others. There is no aspect of our lives that is not impacted by other people. Just as we have no choice but to be influenced by the world around us, we also have no choice but to influence the world around us. We can make that influence whatever we want it to be. We must make the choice that it will be beneficial to as many as possible, imbued with love. “The heart is not beating, only love is beating”. This is the pebble that we wish to throw into the world. However small the pebble, the ripples will go for ever outward nonetheless.

The Ripple Effect is based fundamentally on metaphysical notions of the impact that one person’s thoughts and actions can have on the world about them. However, there is a great deal of solid science behind this concept. Let me hand you over to Chris for a deeper exploration of the scientific basis of The Ripple Effect:

The Science behind The Ripple Effect

In a nutshell, physics is the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them. The core theories of physics are classical (or Newtonian) mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and relativity. Within each of these branches, science has developed theories that have been validated through mathematics and experimentation: for instance, Issac Newton’s famous Three Laws of Motion. These theories have proven to be accurate models of nature within their respected domains. What has puzzled science is that these theories tend to be inaccurate outside of their respected domains. For instance, classical mechanics correctly describes the motion of objects in everyday experience, but it breaks down at the atomic scale, where it is superseded by quantum mechanics, and at speeds approaching the speed of light, where relativistic effects become important. Since Albert Einstein first proposed an underlying set of rules in which each branch of physics would be an integrated subset, the Unified Field Theory has become the Holy Grail of science.

Some of the most exciting work has been in the field of Quantum Physics. Researchers have long understood that the basic building block of matter, the atom, could be broken down into its basic components: protons, neutrons and electrons. We have come to understand that these components are not absolute, but can be broken down into even smaller particles, called leptons and quarks, which in turn can be broken down even farther. The theory is that when you go down far enough, there is no finite bit of matter, there is only energy. This has been popularized by two recent movies: What the Bleep Do We Know and The Secret. The concept espoused in these movies is that since everything is energy, our thoughts can be used to interact with that energy to effect changes in our environment.

The Ripple Effect is based on the belief that the energy of our intentions, through both thought and action, does ripple out through time and space to effect our environment. To this, we add two accepted theories of physics: entrainment and wave characteristics. Entrainment is the process by which two vibrating or oscillating systems which would have different periods when operating independently, will lock into phase and operate in synchronicity when they interact with each other. You can demonstrate this yourself by setting two pendulum clocks on a wall together. No matter what the initial timing is, they will eventually swing together. Wave theory teaches us that, unless acted upon by an external effect, a wave will continue to travel out without a change in its initial amplitude or wavelength. In addition, when two waves intersect each other, the height of the effect is the sum of the heights of the two individual waves.

This means that if we can synchronize our intentions and actions towards a common goal, our independent waves will continue to add to each other as they travel out through the energetic field and the result will be much greater than we can manifest independently.

Our Pebble in the Pond

If you distilled all the writings, all the videos, all the plans of Humanity Healing down to a single concept, it is this: to gather as many hearts as possible, be they individuals or organizations, to help them to beat in synchronicity and together send our actions and intentions out through the connection of our shared humanity to make this world a better place.

The Humanity Healing Foundation and Network is our pebble in the pond.

The Ripple Effect Video is initially being released worldwide in eight different languages. The Humanity Healing Foundation would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions on The Ripple Effect:

Daniel Kobialka
for his beautiful rendition of The Pachelbel Canon

Or translation team:

Click on these links to take you to their respective versions at our You Tube account.

Johanna Béchade (French)

Karlox (Spanish)

Martin Wolkner & Michael (German)

Sarah (Classical Arabic)

Esra (Turkish)

Cila (Italian)

Liane Legey (Portuguese)

Here is the English language version of The Ripple Effect:

We will be continuing to translate The Ripple Effect into as many languages as we can. If you are interested in becoming part of our translation team, please contact us. New translations of The Ripple Effect will be listed here on this post as they become available.

The Ripple Effect has been a labour of love for Humanity Healing. A number of people have contributed to this groundbreaking production that is already reaching out and embedding it's message of directly and collectively engaging with some of the pressing problems on our planet into the hearts and minds of many.

The pebble has been dropped. The ripple is spreading. Will you be a part of the wave?

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve, Chris and all at Humanity Healing

12/12: Spiritual Activism ~ Mass Meditation

2007-12-08T19:20:00.001-05:00

On the 12th of this month, Humanity Healing is combining forces with Children of the Sun for a significant event in the generation of a more just and sustainable world. As an organisation dedicated to the philosophy of spiritual activism, Humanity Healing is asking that all of us take some time out of our day to sit quietly in meditation or prayer and send out waves of positive intent to help those in need.

Meditation and prayer are powerful and dynamically active methods of bringing about change, not only on the inner landscapes of our minds, but also in the outer tumult of daily life. Michal J Eastcott once wrote in 'The Silent Path' :

"All meditation is a service of one kind or another, even meditation that is purely 'personal', for 'no man is an island entire of itself; every man is part of the continent, a piece of the maine'. All our lifting of ourselves to a higher level of being and entry into a wider area of consciousness is, therefore, a lifting of the whole, a service to our fellow beings, no matter how small."

Meditation and prayer do indeed impact dynamically and profoundly on the world around us. Just by spending a few minutes on the 12th mindfully focused with love and compassion in our hearts, we can create a shift in the energetic matrix of the world. Let us begin to put our higher aspirations for the world and those around us into a state of becoming as we commit to this act of dynamic stillness.

For too long have those who suffer, suffered. For too long have those who are lonely hidden in the dark corners of their lives. For too long have the disempowered bowed to injustice. We CAN make a difference. We can effect a change in the world. Please join us on the 12th and be the change that you want to see.

A word of warning however for those who have perhaps not engaged in this type of activity before. Again Michal J Eastcott:

"Our task as meditators is to work with energies, not events, to invoke enlightenment and wisdom for those concerned, to radiate love, to maintain calm and always remain confident that right will prevail."

We can never know the way that the Universe or God has planned for things to unfold. What is best for individuals and groups and nations may be very different to what we think should happen. When we pray or meditate we should always focus our minds on that which is for the highest good of those concerned and ask that they find relief from their suffering as quickly as possible. With this approach we have a much greater chance of making a positive contribution to the world.

If you are an experienced meditator then perhaps you have a particular method that you would like to use. If you are a beginner then this Universal approach that does not require of you any particular spiritual or religious commitment is one that you could use. This is an eyes closed method as most find this to be the easiest approach for beginners, but if you would prefer to do this with your eyes open, then that is fine. Just make sure that you are not distracted by the 'business' of your environment. Having a blank wall to stare at is a good idea.

Preparation

Find yourself a comfortable position, preferably in an upright chair and focus on relaxing your body as much as you are able. Close your eyes. Follow your breath and try to establish a quiet rhythm; in slowly and out slowly. Be still.

Reflection & Reception
Begin by saying the word compassion. Reflect on this word for a moment.

Now feel the light from Source shining down on your crown. Visualise this entering through the top of your head and travelling down to your heart centre - which is located in the centre of your chest at the height of your physical heart. Really try to feel the light from Source resonating in your heart; blossoming and expanding. Feel compassion developing in the heart centre. Say compassion once again.

Feel that your heart is opening to the energy of compassion that is entering through your crown and travelling down to this centre. Your heart is opening to the light. Your heart IS the light. Submerge yourself in this feeling.

Creative Meditation
Whilst holding this feeling of compassion within the heart, begin to turn your attention outwards to those who suffer. Let your awareness expand outwards to connect with and encompass all those that are in need. Feel the energy of compassion emanating from your heart and surrounding these beings. See them within the light of compassion. See then surrounded by loving kindness. Feel your own connection with each and every one of them from the heart. Say compassion once again.

Feel that this wave of loving kindness expands ever outwards. Feel yourself as being a conduit for the light of the Universe that touches the lives of all. Feel yourself becoming submerged in the experience of the light. You are the light. You are the energy of Source. As you give to others you give of your true essence. You give yourself in an expression of love. Compassion.

Hold this feeling and sensation for a few minutes. Continue to feel your connection to all other beings in need. Continue to be the spark of light within the mind of God.

Now bring your awareness back to your heart centre. Feel the warmth and the glow there. Fill your whole body with this feeling. Let the energy travel out from the heart and see it resonate within every cell of your body. You are glowing with positive energy. Say compassion for yourself.

Now, take this energy from the heart, down through your body, down your legs, and through your feet and visualise it going into the Earth. Feel your connection through your feet with the ground underneath you.

Take your awareness back to your breath. Watch your breath going slowly in and then out for a few moments. When you are ready, you may open your eyes.

If you have trouble in remembering these instructions it might be a good idea to record them for yourself first and then sit for the meditation whilst listening to the recording.

One other thing that you can do on the 12th and which is also very much a part of our commitment to helping others on this day is to commit one random act of kindness for someone that you do not know. It doesn't matter what that act might be. Perhaps it could be as simple as holding open a door for a mother struggling from a supermarket with children and bags. Perhaps it could be to offer to pay for someones coffee whilst you are out taking a break from work. Or it could be no more than a smile given to someone who is having a hard day. Whatever it is that you do, do it with love in your heart and a real intention to make a change for the good.

Humanity Healing is proud to be associated in this endeavour with Children of the Sun and we sincerely hope that all of you will join us in helping to make the world a better place for all to live and love in on the 12th. Please watch our video associated with this event below:

Namaste.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

The Spirit of Humanity in a Yahoo Group

2007-11-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

The engine of Humanity Healing is, as you will discover from reading any of the posts on this blog, the strong desire to help those in need: those who suffer and those that are friendless and lonely and lost. Those who on a daily basis stare into their own personal abyss. I guess that at some point in life, we all go through that pain. We all experience life at it's lowest ebb and it is only the knowledge that life CAN be good, happy and full of love, that drives us to overcome and move on.

For some however the pain of daily existence can be overwhelming. It can be crushing and fall like a hammer blow every single day. It is in cases such as these that an organisation such as Humanity Healing can step in and hold a hand, be a guide and offer advice, healing, love and friendship.

One of the very first expressions of this commitment by Humanity Healing to those in need was the formation of a Yahoo Group on the net. This group has quickly become a phenomenon, drawing in large numbers of people on a daily basis; both those in need and those who wish to partner with HH to offer their services in furthering our core mission. It is inspiring and truly moving to read some of the stories and the accounts of those who are asking for our help and the love and the friendship that is being offered by those who are there to provide that help.

One of those people is Humanity Healing's own beloved Stefanie. Stefanie is cherished and respected and very much loved by all of us involved within HH, for the warmth and compassion that she brings to her work within the Yahoo Group. On a personal level I count her as a true friend and one that has held out the hand of support, love and friendship to me on more than one occasion when it was needed.

I asked Stefanie if she would like to contribute a piece on the work of the Yahoo Group for this blog and this is what she sent in, along with some of her own work as a photographer to illustrate it. So, over to you Stefanie:

The Spirit of Humanity in a Yahoo Group

Today in our beloved world, there seems to be crisis around every corner. Almost every time we open our eyes from sleep we’re faced with difficult circumstances, choices and feelings. Sometimes we wonder how we can make it to the next day, to the next moment. We feel so alone and lost, afraid to live in such a world of hate and pain. Our purpose is unclear most of the time. We blindly run our fingers along the rough wall of experience. We quickly realize that ignoring these feelings does not work anymore. Religions as we’ve always known them, do not seem to give us the answers like they used to.

What if the majority of the world felt the same way you feel right now? Who’s going to do something about it? Who’s going to save us all from this numbness?

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Henry David Thoreau

On September 30, 2006, Humanity Healing was born in the form of a Yahoo group. Two incredibly compassionate and focused people who had the answer to “who’s going to save us now?” stepped up and said that we each hold a responsibility for our Earthly salvation. WE ARE the ones who are going to save us. WE ALL are responsible, and thus have the power for resolution.

This special Yahoo group was formed in the hope that it could be a refuge for those who needed healing. No judgments passed, no denomination of any kind, no questions asked. A place of equal companionship to those who are hurt, lost, and desperate. In June I was asked to become a moderator of Humanity Healing Yahoo group. I proudly accepted with a big goofy grin on my face because I knew I was becoming part of something profoundly special. I had no idea about the extent of what I was getting myself into!

The members of the group all have incredible gifts on many different levels of healing. There are beginners and those with years of experience and as time went by, I started to see beautiful healing qualities emerge within each person. Some write poetry, some share incredible inspirational stories, others practice energy work (like Reiki) and some are there using their gifts of experience and advice. Everyone contributes a part of themselves in the most genuine of ways.

In contributing to the healing we are in ourselves being healed. I have come to call every single person in the group (even the shy members) family. They are courageous, strong, and willful in every situation that they face; whether it be cancer, loss of family, divorce, depression, or personal loss of faith and self-esteem. I have been inspired to my very core and my faith in humanity has been rekindled because of the spirit of the people in this group. I really hope the sincerity of what I’m sharing here is felt. I am beyond honored to have a part in this group of healers and soul searchers.

On many occasions members have shared with us that they’ve felt drawn to the group and that’s why they joined. In the past 3 weeks we’ve seen our biggest rise in members. People from all over the world; of all race, sex, age and religion have caught word of our incredible family in the Yahoo group. We are now at 512 members!

How are people from all over the world able to heal someone at a distance?

Our healing group is able to do what most people would never believe is possible with only prayer. Our thoughts create an intention and our intention creates an energy. Energy has no limitation in time and space. So when we pray with our intentions of healing, love and compassion, that high vibration of energy is traveling to the specific person or situation and soothing and healing, and because there are many of us, the energy is intensified and the healing result is stronger. This collaboration of intention creates a divine union of mind, body and spirit in the healer and the healed. The most beautiful thing about it is there is no “right” way to heal. We use our different unique gifts. One of our most powerful healing tools is a crystal healing grid that our beautiful Alison keeps her attention to and constantly adds new names in need of healing. We receive constant updates on many of the individuals seeking healing and we’ve had much success! More success than I originally ever expected!

How is it possible to care so much for people you’ve never even met?

Once again, energy and intention is limitless in time and space. When we connect in the group we feel each other’s unique energies and love. Because we don’t have the social blocks that make us judge another, whether we want to or not, while we’re face to face, we are much more sincere in our intentions. Being able to write out what we’re feeling or thinking is also much like writing in a diary. We can stop and think about what we really want to say instead of spouting out when we’re face to face. Because these inhibiting factors are taken away a different kind of communication can emerge. We can extend more of ourselves without fear and our intuition is free. The members of the group are not just members. They are soul brothers and sisters, all on a similar path of growth.

One of the most humbling things I’ve learned by being a part of the Humanity Healing Yahoo group is the fact that when we heal ourselves, we in return CAN heal the world. Living what most people only talk about, or doubt is an amazing gift of hope and boundless faith. Seeing a part of humanity that is badly damaged actually taking responsibility for their own healing and then turning around and extending their hand to another hurt person is what this group is all about. It is what Humanity is about. Period. Stepping up to create a better world, not only for our children in the future, but for ourselves now. Listening to our higher selves and following our ethics no matter the cost.

I want to thank all who have contributed in the group, and all who have yet to contribute. Your unconditional love, compassion, and courage is the answer in uniting humanity.

My deepest respect to you all now and always,

Stefanie

Connections
We are all one.
Separate paths we travel,
All towards the same goal.
All of the same spark.
We teach each other
Through love and hate,
And what we choose to learn
Defines our fate.
Defines our soul.
Enriches us all.
We experience in contrast
To ascend toward the call.

To visit the group, go to:

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumanityHealing

If you too feel that you would like to help Stefanie and the rest of the Yahoo Group team, I know that you would be welcomed with open arms. Or, if you are at a point in your life where perhaps you are struggling and the support of Humanity Healing could help you to cope and find some peace and love in your life, then please also get in touch. You can find the Yahoo Group by clicking on the link above or in the sidebar of this blog. To get in touch with Stefanie directly, please go to her MySpace page which is also listed in the sidebar. I know that you will find a warm welcome and an unconditional offer of friendship from her.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve

Compassionate Violence

2007-11-14T18:16:00.000-05:00

One of the key areas of concern for Humanity Healing is the appalling violence that our co-inhabitants of this planet are subject to at the hands of humanity. Millions upon millions of animals suffer some of the worst atrocities ever devised by human minds every single year all over this world. On the whole these atrocities are, as defined by the minds and consciences of those in power, entirely legal. This of course does not mean that the butchery and torture that these creatures are subject to is justified or right. The level of violence that is inflicted on these helpless living, breathing, feeling beings would, were humans to suffer the same fate, lead to war crimes tribunals, incarceration in mental institutions and intense psychological enquiry into the roots and then cure for such highly irreconcilable mental dysfunction. As a species we would, eventually, hang our heads in shame. Many have and still are trying to do something about this terrible situation. They are trying desperately to turn the tide; to bring a state of peace and compassion and benign stewardship into our relationship with the other creatures of this world. There is however a problem. In the attempt to bring about this world of peace and harmony, some of those who acknowledge and feel the pain of those that are suffering have taken up arms and declared war on the perpetrators of violence against animals. Violence has lead to more violence as frustration has embedded itself within the hearts of the activists fighting for a better world. The lessons of history are not being learnt by anyone in this stand-off and the words of the wise men and women, uttered so many times over so many generations are being paid only lip service.

It is, I think, necessary to ponder on this state of reciprocal violence....This is what Krishnamurti had to say when he reflected on this appalling human method of expressing frustration and anger:

“Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn't merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country. Violence is much more subtle, much deeper, and we are inquiring into the very depths of violence.”

There are many who have, as an outpouring of their sense of pain on behalf of those in need, worked tirelessly to alleviate and put an end to the terrible suffering that is the life experience of so many animals. They are however more than happy to use violent and destructive methods against the property of those involved in causing that suffering. On the face of it this might seem like a reasonable response: to cause the cessation of suffering that these creatures endure; smash up the means by which that suffering is inflicted. Non-violence to other living beings, but the destruction of the tools of their trade. This is in the long term however, not at all reasonable, at least not as is so often the case when it is predicated on the need to let vent the anger and frustration that so many feel in the face of such barbarity.

What is of concern is the mindset that feels that violence born of what seems like justifiable anger is OK. Violence is however, simply not the answer to the elimination of violence. Not once in the history of humanity has violence lead inexorably to peace - there has always been a price to pay and the price is more violence: physical, mental or emotional violence or social destruction and cultural annihilation. This is the lesson of history.

There is no question that the actions of those who drop chemicals into the eyes of rabbits or that encourage chimpanzees to smoke cigarettes or that genetically alter the makeup of mice is quite perverse. Perverse because as much as we have progressed over the years in terms of our material wealth and our scientific breakthrough's - many as a consequence of the experiments and tests that have been conducted on animals - there is simply no place in a fully evolved human society for cruelty and the inflicting of pain on another. Better that we make slower progress and take more risks ourselves than resort to violence and torture to assuage our desire for more, more, more in an instant.

There are many of us in the world that find the dispensing of anguish to another being to be a truly abhorrent act. When we see suffering in the world, it is natural for us to want to alleviate or eliminate that suffering. Compassion arises and we feel propelled to take action. To do what we can. When our attempts are foiled by legal restrictions or physical barriers, it is then very easy to become angry at our inability to stop the suffering. Some of us then find that, seemingly, the only course of action left is to break the law and engage in the destruction of the tools and structures that enable the violence against animals to take place. This course of action is a product of frustration and anger. Anger however is a wholly negative emotion that is generated from within. It does not come from without, it does not come from those with whom we have issue. Anger, in this instance is the product of an attachment to the fact that the world, or an aspect of it, does not function in the way that we think it should. There is a powerful need here to look at the roots of this attachment and why it is that we feel the need to modify the world in our image. There is a need to temper our heart feelings of pain on behalf of others with the mind of wisdom. Compassion without wisdom can be a very dangerous thing.

When we have anger we are in the thrall of a totally destructive emotion that harms the angry person more than the object of that anger. Anger is very difficult to control and needs a destructive outlet. Fire MUST burn. When anger is expressed as violence, even when the violence is inflicted on inanimate objects, it indicates a mental instability. Compassion for animals or any other being is wonderful but compassion is not expressed through violence even to inanimate objects. This is not compassion but simply violence born of anger that is generated from a mind without wisdom. Compassion cannot be expressed through anger or violence - this is a mis-use of a sacred and profound word. Gandhi once said that 'anger is the enemy of non-violence'. Anger has no home within non-violence as anger itself is violence - the two are brothers in arms.

When a building or a car or a laboratory is damaged or blown up, no one is hurt physically but it does cause mental distress to others; the perpetrators of violence on animals, yes, but still they are living beings and there is no justification in causing distress or suffering to any living being for whatever reason. When we have anger, when we have the intention to cause destruction, we send out an energetic mental projection ahead of us. That projection will impinge on the state of mind of our target-by-default. Even before we take physical action to cause destruction, we have already mentally and energetically assaulted someone. They will feel this and respond in kind. We see this all of the time and it is the reason that all acts of violent intent have always failed. Instead of persuading the target perpetrator of cruelty to change their orientation to their activities we simply raise their hackles and make them more determined not to relent in whatever they are engaged in. It is a true no-win - no-win situation.

What is vital to realise in this is that the critical factor is not the cessation of destroying the means of inflicting pain, it is the mental orientation to doing so. When we go on a rampage of destruction in the name of compassion (how incredibly perverse is that?) we are simply engaging in precisely the same abhorrent violence as that of our target. There is no difference. There is no order in suffering. Read the following news report that shows the distress that was intentionally caused by animal rights activists in Italy:

"A pheasant farm was raided during the night by a group of people who left behind graffiti on a wall warning, 'close the farm or we'll be back'. The nets and fences of 6 pens containing 10.000 pheasants were completely trashed and more than half of the animals escaped. Added to this, and putting the owner in tears doubting if he can go on with the job, water pumps, light cables, buildings and tractors were damaged and a new car dosed with paint stripper. The owner said the work had been done by many well-organized people. This farm was heavily damaged by a huge snowfall in 2005 and was just recovering. This could be the final nail for them, the owner Vito Cornacchia said. He said it is not only the damages, estimated at more than 100.000 euros, but also the idea that there are people who hate him and are able to do this kind of damage; that makes him think twice about going on or not...."

The destructive activities of this human being have clearly been stopped in their tracks by the actions of the animal rights activists. This might be perceived by some as an entirely good thing. BUT this man has been made to suffer and his means of making a living destroyed by those who have hatred in their hearts and violence in their minds instead of wisdom. This is not compassion. The word should not be held in the mouth's of these people.

This is not to say that we should do nothing and should sit and ponder our own navels in an introspective act of self-enquiry to the detriment of those who desperately need our compassion and our help. Nor is it a call to defend the indefensible simply because it is the law. We must each obey our conscience in this respect, but in doing so, it is vital that we have a correct understanding of the nature of our emotions and their origination within our attachments. When we have this understanding we find that we can embrace those in need and express our love for them as fellow creatures who require our protection but free from the negative emotions of frustration and anger at our inability to provide for them the safe and perfect world that we would wish. When we express love as the primary function of our being, we no longer need to engage in an effort to force change upon the world as it will naturally begin it's own process of transformation in accord with the levels of vibration that the expression of love engenders. This is the fundamental principle on which the entire universe is founded. Raise the vibration and everything else is pulled along in its wake. We don't need to be attached to changing the world. We simply need to express that which we really are as much and as often as we can: the embodiment of love and compassion in the world.

In treading the path of compassion and in the cultivation of wisdom, there must surely come a point where the realisation dawns that in taking effective action to bring an end to suffering, understanding and disengaging from attachment is the only answer. If action is needed, there are plenty of options for direct action of a non-violent kind to be taken. The achievements of one of the greatest living beings of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi, are testimony of this simple fact. Take down the machinery of pain if you must but do it with compassion in your heart, not hatred. Barricade the gates to hell if you feel it necessary, but do it with love for all of your fellow creatures, not with venom on your tongue. Even those who cause suffering are worthy recipients of love and compassion. They need healing too, they need understanding and love. They too are suffering -what being could not be suffering given the activities that they engage in?

Of course the argument comes straight back that 'this is too slow...so many animals will suffer while we sit and protest at the gates..so many lives lost, so much pain that we could stop by taking up arms and smashing the machinery of violence against animals'. Yes, there is some truth in this...it is too slow, but again we need to let go those attachments! Why must the world move to our agenda? The simple fact is that over the years through engaging in violent activity, the cause of animal rights has not been furthered one jot. Animals are still suffering, the experiments continue, the genetic abuse is escalating. Some battles have been won while others have been lost, but the war goes on and on and on and will never come to an end.

By 'being the change that we want to see' we may in all honesty be engaged in an acceptance of the fact that many animals will suffer excruciatingly. This is a heart-wrenching thing to have to deal with if you are at all concerned with the welfare of these creatures. But, the good news is, that when we take the path of true compassion that springs from the mind of wisdom and practice fully the tenets of non-violence towards all beings, there is a strong chance that at some point in the future, the war can be won.

But in ceasing violence and practicing non-violence, what we are not doing is gnashing our teeth and holding back from the punch-up that we would really like to have. Non-violence starts in the heart and mind. Non-violence is the expression of genuine love, understanding and compassion for our enemies. It is about being able to step into their shoes and fully appreciate their world-view, their understanding, their pain. We need to learn to enfold our enemy in compassion and, yes, love too. If we can do this, we achieve more than a thousand torched buildings, blown-up cars and paint-daubed laboratories can ever achieve for us.

The pain can cease, both for the species that are subject to human violence and for those humans that feel the pain of that violence deep within their being. Compassion for all beings is the only answer. Discriminatory compassion is simply an absurdity of gargantuan proportions.

So, in holding the expression of compassion for suffering beings and for those that cause the suffering close to our hearts we do, genuinely stand a chance of turning the tide of violence in this world. What is being suggested here is nothing new, it is simply the same message being put forward one more time - salvation for us and for those beings that we care about can only come from our efforts to first perfect ourselves and become the living embodiment of that which humanity and the world so desperately needs.

Many blessing and much metta,

Steve

What is a Healer?

2007-11-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

When I think of the word 'healer' I guess that like many people, the image that immediately springs to mind is of someone laying on hands and invoking some sort of spiritual force to enable an energetic shift in the wellbeing of the recipient. In my own work as a practitioner and teacher of Reiki Jin Kei Do, this is indeed precisely what I do on a fairly frequent basis. Of course there are many different approaches and methods in this type of work even though to the layman they may appear to be so similar in their external appearance as to not warrant any sort of discrimination between them. But let us think on this word 'healer' or indeed the practice of 'healing'. Healing of course can most certainly encompass pretty much all of the complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, reflexology and kinesiology et al, but what else? What else can we comfortably and legitimately bring within the scope of our definition of 'healing'? Alison Kain, Humanity Healing's Ambassador for Holistic & Alternative Healing answers this question with some pretty convincing arguments that suggest that the concept of 'healing' and what constitutes a 'healer' is much wider than we might initially suppose.

What is a Healer?

Who is a Healer? What is Healing? The answers to these questions, in my humble estimation are: everyone and nearly everything. Everyone is a healer in one fashion or another and what can be construed as healing is nearly limitless since what is healing, balancing or soothing to each soul is as unique and varied as each individual.

If you find my opening statement to be outlandish or you are perplexed or even a bit outraged by the suggestions I've made I ask you to read further to learn why I believe in the answers I have given. Firstly I would like to clarify my position on this. When I say that 'everyone' is a healer I do not suggest that all people are certified or trained practitioners of specific (or multiple) healing modalities; alternative, complementary, holistic, western or otherwise. What I am saying however is that within each soul, I believe that there is the inherent ability to self-heal; once the cells have been 'tuned' to 'remember' how to heal, then healing will occur. We must also entirely cease the thought that it is impossible to heal ourselves or that we are powerless against dis-ease or illness. This line of thinking can actually prevent and/or delay the body's natural healing process.

"The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind."~ Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus ~Our bodies possess an innate wisdom. They know much more than we give them credit for. If we learn how to 'listen' to and interpret the messages that our bodies are sending us we can actually begin to avoid certain illnesses or conditions. One excellent way to accomplish learning to 'hear' what your body says is to sit quietly in a chair and mindfully breathe deeply and peacefully for a minute or two. Then, within your mind, make a statement you know to be false. For example, "I hate chocolate." Repeat this phrase three times. Feel how your body reacts to a lie. Then take a short break: about fifteen minutes is sufficient. Sit down and repeat this process, only this time substitute the truth for the lie. For example, "I love chocolate." Repeated thrice. Then notice how differently your body responds. You have now achieved a simple yet powerful way of detecting how your body tells you whether something is 'good' (the truth) or 'bad' (the lie).

Did you know that our bodies actually undergo a cellular transformation and renewal process every seven years? Did you also know that we can begin to intentionally reconstruct and readjust our DNA through purposeful recoding? This is a unique skill. The knowledge of how to perform this lies within each one of our cellular memory banks merely waiting for someone to help us to recall how to enable and enact this natural process.

It has come to my attention recently that purposeful DNA Recoding is presently being taught by some highly educated and amazing specialists in this field. Unfortunately this topic falls outside of the scope of this article except for the importance of mentioning the fact it exists and is a proven and accepted reality today. DNA Recoding requires a dedicated article unto itself. If however, this specific topic intrigues you, I urge you to begin researching this subject in greater depth. There are many who are coming to the fore now to discuss this important and specialized application and healing process.

In order to understand why I am adamant in my belief that we can heal ourselves, you must first fully understand what I mean when I say 'heal'. Healing is not the same as curing. I do not suggest that we can all cure ourselves - although I reserve the right to also hold the proverbial door open for that possibility - rather I do believe that we all possess the power to healourselves. For me, to 'heal' is simply defined as being or becoming whole and balanced. Wikipedia states that to 'heal' is relative to wellness which is defined as "…an integrated method of functioning which is oriented toward maximizing the potential of which the individual is capable. It requires that the individual maintain a continuum of balance and purposeful direction within the environment where he is functioning." The Kabbalah: "Misdirected life force is the activity in disease process. Disease has no energy save that it borrows from the life of the organism." Some illnesses, dis-eases and conditions do exist, whether we wish to acknowledge this or not because we are out of balance in one or more areas of our lives. We have, whether through trauma, extreme stress, duress or prolonged exposure to unhealthy circumstances, habits and/or situations that create an imbalance in our lives which consequently cannegatively effect the body.

When we are off-kilter we open the gateway for dis-ease. In viewing illness this way, one can easily see that the suggestion that when we are able to adapt to dis-ease and 'work with it' in an effort to eliminate the imbalance, we are able to restore a sense of 'wellness' and thus heal ourselves. This argument does bear merit.

I add this for your consideration: is not being able to construct an eco-friendly building acting as a healer for the earth? Is not creating music which touches one's soul, considered an elevating or uplifting experience? If you agree it is so, it therefore can also be considered healing. (This music is mentioned aside from purposeful practical application of specific correlated vibrations and chords meant to recalibrate the "normal" human body). Is not an artist who provides a means of looking at this world in a whole new way also healing, albeit in a different way to a practical healing modality? And what about applying the title of 'healing' to something so simply offered as a smile or a pure and innocent touch? For example, it has been proven in case studiesregarding newborn infants that touch is considered essential to drive the desire to survive while also promoting the likelihood of a resultant well-adapted and balanced being. The sense of being touched lovingly then also constitutes as healing. "The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."~ Hubert H. Humphrey.

I have illustrated that we all possess the inherent knowledge and power to enact positive changes in our lives and our bodies, which constitutes healing. This serves to meet my postulation that we are all healers in one fashion or another to a greater or lesser degree. What however serves to meet the basic qualifiers to be considered healing? I have offered traits or actions and deeds which are not typically associated with the healing industry to meet thecriteria of 'healing practices'. These include such wonderful gifts as smiles, music, art in all its forms, pure touch, awareness and readjustment of our thinking processes from perceiving the impossible as being possible. The list in my mind is nearly endless. The point is that what one finds healing another may not, yet that does not in any way eradicate the benefits to be found within specific categories that can constitute healing, despite the fact that thesepractices do not fall under the current health organizations – alternative or otherwise – as being legitimate healing methodologies. I would be remiss in this discussion if I did not state clearly that I believe it is important to incorporate proper diet and appropriate levels of water intake in conjunction with regular and balanced exercise in our daily routines. These simple habits are not only healing but serve to achieve and sustain overall well-being.

I hope that I have provided you with enough possibilities to merit real thought, consideration and contemplation on the possibility that everyone is a healer of some sort even when not a healer by occupation. Equally, I hope that I have given you reason to expand your possible definitions of what can help you (or a loved one) to heal and live more wholly and freely while understanding that to heal yourself is also the first step towards helping in healing this world. "The only work that will ultimately bring any good to any of us is the work of contributing to the healing of the world."~ Marianne Williamson.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Namaste.

Alison's arguments here carry much merit and I do believe that there is a case for widening our mental orientation to the concept of healing so that much more of life and our ordinary day to day passage through it can be seen as an expression of healing art. In the same way that our ordinary day to day life can and does at times promote dis-ease, there are elements of it that also promote health and wellbeing. Yin and yang are after all the dual aspects of the universal law that everything must have an equal and opposite balancing principle - for every dis-ease creating event or act or practice, there must also be a healing and balancing event or act or practice.

Alison herself is a very experienced therapist and healer with an enormous repertoire of different modalities at her disposal. I am sure that those of you who are members of the Humanity Healing Yahoo Group are very aware of her skills in this area and the wisdom that she brings to her practice of aiding those in need. As a core member of Humanity Healing, Alison's commitment to others and focus as a 'healer' is very highly regarded. I am sure that in due course she will be back here with more of her wisdom and insights. Many thanks Alison my friend!

Blessings and much metta,

Steve, Alison and Humanity Healing.

Working for Humanity Healing

2007-10-27T09:10:00.000-04:00

Now, since Humanity Healing have put me in charge of this blog, I am going to step out of my comfort zone here and use this public space to deliver a very personal message - to my colleagues in Humanity Healing and to all of our wonderful supporters all around the world.

Humanity Healing is a very new organisation. It is still finding its feet and yes, mistakes have been made and problems have arisen; both internally and externally and we are all on one huge learning curve as this global healing phenomenon roots itself firmly into the spiritual bedrock of humankind and spreads its reach and influence around the globe. HH is becoming a mighty force in its mission to engage fully with active spirituality. If you are not clear what THAT is all about, see Chris Buck's wonderful piece just below this short post.

But you know, as big as HH is becoming, as influential in spreading a doctrine of actively engaging with allevaiting suffering as it is, at its heart Humanity Healing is simply the outward expression of the hearts and minds of a small core group of people. This group of people - and I am not going to name names here - you will get to know them from the work that they do - ask for nothing in return. They ask only to be allowed to support you when you cannot stand on your own anymore. To offer compassion where there is a lack of it. To hold a hand when there is no other friend to do so.

Humanity Healing is the collective voice of a few loving and compassionate people with a burning desire to fulfill their personal mission to help in whatever way that they can. So here is my personal and truly heart felt message to you; my colleagues within Humanity Healing:

It is my privelege and honour to be a part of this collective expression of unconditional love. It is a greater privelege and honour to be counted as a friend of some of the warmest, most loving and compassionate people I have ever come across. What you are doing in Humanity Healing is profoundly beautiful. It is the essence of all that makes life worth living. The hand you offer to me and to all of those out there suffering is frankly breathtaking in its expression of the one true value that is worth following in this world: Simply love and love simply. My colleagues in Humanity Healing are my friends. We are family and from my own heart I offer them all much love in return for all that they have given to me and continue to give to those in need.

But I also want to address this to everyone else reading this. As I said, we are a small core group with a mission. Our mission is being realised, but in that realisation life and God and the Universe is pulling us along at a pace that sometimes is hard to keep up with. We do our best. We are always happy and grateful when those in need come to us and allow us to help where we can. But, is there something that you could do for Humanity Healing? We are anxious to increase our numbers. We are anxious to become involved in helping those that currently perhaps fall outside of our remit as we don't have someone with responsibility for that particular focus. Do you have an expertise that could help us in our work? Our numbers are growing, but we, like everyone else need more friends! You can't ever have enough friends! If there is something that you can offer, however small it might be we would love to hear from you. You can find us easily through all of the links down the sidebar here or by putting up a comment to this post.

My friends, both within Humanity Healing and without: Life for me is an adventure. It has had and continues to have, its good points and bad points - its ups and downs. But one thing I know deep in my heart, is that Humanity Healing is now shining a light into some of those darker corners of life. Not just for me, but for all. The radiance and the warmth is uplifting. My life continues to be an adventure but as the adventure unfolds I personally now have grasped tightly to my heart, Humanity Healing as my companion.

I offer you all much deeply felt love and respect my true friends.

Blessings and metta,

Steve

A Ramble on Spiritual Activism

2007-10-19T19:09:00.000-04:00

A phrase that has really only recently entered the lexicon of spirituality is 'Spiritual Activism'. A peculiar phrase perhaps..after all, isn't spirituality a personal and largely 'inward' affair rather than 'outward' and active? How do we become an activist as we sit in meditation, contemplation or prayer? Wouldn't 'non-activism' more accurately define our engagement with our own personal spirituality? What has activism got to do with it? Certainly, these are thoughts and issues with a deeply personal resonance that help us to define our orientation to our particular core beliefs. Spiritual Activism however is really quite central to a full engagement with spirituality; tapping into its central matrix. Spiritual Activism is also fundamental to and forms a part of the core mission statement for Humanity Healing.

For this reason I have pulled together some material from Chris Buck - one of the co-founders of Humanity Healing, along with our new video release that will give you a much better idea of where Humanity Healing stands on this important philosophic issue of active spirituality.

The first piece of text here was recently published on the Humanity Healing MySpace blog. Our MySpace page can be accessed via the link in the sidebar of this blog, along with all of the other Humanity Healing internet sites. So without further ado, let me hand you over to Chris:

A Ramble on Spiritual Activism

"The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, its indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, its indifference."

- Elie Wiesel

Throughout history, there has been an ebb and flow between organized Religions and Spirituality. For the most part, at least in the West, organized Religions have held the upper hand. During the latter part of the last century, there began a shift in perceptions and a questioning of the Tenets of Faith. People in search of Truth and of the purpose to our existence on this planet have been stepping off the Paths of traditional Religions and moving towards ones of self-discovery. This is not to say that these Paths lead in different directions – they do not – only that there is an increasing desire for a more personal relationship with Creation and the Creator than just following the basic forms allowed in the religions we have been raised in. For some, these Paths lead full circle to a stronger Faith in their original religious teachings. For others, the Path leads to Eastern practices such as Buddhism, Mysticism such as Kabbalah, or esoteric teachings such as the Divine Feminine.

Since the advent of the new millennia, there has been a surge in the rising tide of Spirituality. This is due, in large part, to the wide-spread use and personalization of the internet, and the growth of such on-line communities as MySpace, Zaadz, Youtube and others. It has become easy to not only find information, but to engage in instant communication with people around the world who want to share discoveries and knowledge.

A phenomena resulting from the rise of Spirituality and the growth of the internet is Spiritual Activism. Spiritual Activism is an answer to a need to do more to help others than just donate money or time. Many people are no longer satisfied with just the traditional charities. In part, this is because the focus is often so broad that the donor feels completely removed from the end result. While Disaster Relief, or Feeding the Hungry, or Sheltering the Homeless are all laudable and necessary goals, the scope is so large-scale it is difficult to feel a personal connection with the process.

As an individual grows spiritually, the desire to give of themselves and not just their resources grows as well. This is because there is a fundamental truth that becomes evident at some point - we are all connected. Whether you see that connection solely through our shared humanity, or you understand the energetic links between all things, or you believe in the spiritual congress of our collective souls; the fact remains that, whatever your beliefs and however you are comfortable expressing it, we ARE all connected. For example, there are a lot of differences between an educated engineer living in the United States and an uneducated plantation worker in Bangladesh; but the similarities are much more important if you open yourself to them. We both need food and shelter. We both have hopes, dreams and a desire to provide a good home and future for our children. We both possess dignity and deserve respect and understanding. We share a common humanity. We both possess a soul that resonates with its own unique beauty. Our differences are superficial. Our similarities are manifest. We are the same. There IS a connection.

It is knowledge and understanding of this connection that allows an individual to develop Compassion as part of their daily way of life. It is compassion that compels us to reach out from the heart to help others. This, in turn, expands our capacity for Love which furthers our personal spiritual growth. Raising another, raises you as well. Helping another becomes a form of self-love as well as an expression of outward love. This becomes an upwardly spiraling cycle of increasing awareness, increasing connection, increasing compassion, increasing involvement, increasing capacity, and back to increasing awareness. An individual’s spiritual advancement and corresponding spiritual activism raises not only themselves and the recipient of the action, but produces a ripple outward that advances each and every one of us as well.

Remember the connection between us.

There will always be a real need for the mega-charities to deal with such huge projects as running refugee camps, combating regional famines, or coordinating disaster relief; but in the last decade, many small non-profit organizations such as the Humanity Healing Foundation have been created to give spiritually-oriented individuals an opportunity to connect with other individuals around the world to help heal individual needs, whether that is rebuilding a single tsunami-ravaged village in Bangladesh, or teaching spirituality to reduce inner-city gang violence in Los Angeles, or setting up a special hospital in Africa to help women who have been horribly brutalized and mutilated.

The point of this whole Ramble is to share a vision of a way for all of us to help Heal the Heart of Humanity. Whichever Path you follow, it is through Spiritual Activism that we will make the individual connections needed to engender Compassion and resolve specific problems. It is through Spiritual Activism that we will be able to combine those individual connections into mighty bridges to span the ethnic, political and economic chasms that divide our world.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

This next piece, again from Chris was written as a MySpace bulletin to alert everyone to our newly released video work 'One Voice' (which can be found below):

The Humanity Healing Foundation’s latest video, One Voice, was inspired by a plea from a friend living in fear of the vicious persecutions currently occurring in Burma (Myanmar). In truth, if a government uses oppressive force against Buddhist monks, then no one under their rule is safe.

Sadly, there are many places around the globe where Humanity suffers under the lash of oppression and violence.

Many of our friends on MySpace and elsewhere are on the Path of Spiritual Advancement – a conscious process to raise their vibrational level and ascend to a higher state of consciousness. There are many bulletins and teachings shared discussing the beauty of the Ascension Process.

But do not forget that one reason the Ascension Process is so beautiful is because of the stark contrast to the ugliness it rises from.

While individuals can advance on their own, we as a race will not ascend unless we help each other. We are all capable of being Spiritual Warriors. We are all capable of fighting on the side of Light. Many help by sending out waves of Metta, positive intention, or energy to help rebuild the Grid; but there is more you can do.

Let your voice be heard!

Demand positive action from your elected leaders. There are many venues to do this, but here are two of note:

www.humanrightsactioncenter.org

The Human Rights Action Center is working to pressure the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi to power in Burma, to support human rights groups around the world and is creating a fund to get people out of harm’s way in exceptional human rights abuse cases. Please visit their site and show your support.

www.my.care.org/campaign/iwdaction

The Humanity Healing Network supports the petition drive organized by Care to pressure our elected officials not to ignore the orchestrated wave of brutal violence being done to women in the Congo. In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) legislation that will increase protection and services for women and girls facing gender based violence, and will direct more U.S. funding to violence prevention abroad. The IVAWA will increase U.S. leadership in responding to the violence suffered by women and girls in the DRC and around the world. Please urge your representatives to support the IVAWA today. You can link to your elected representative from the above website link.

This is a Call to Action. Please join with us.

Spiritual Activism is, as Chris has stated, about taking action. It is about coming from that heart of compassion that we all develop on our spiritual paths and using that energetic force to make a real difference in the world. The beauty of action founded on a heart of compassion is that it is focused by wisdom. Unfocused action often leads to mistakes, or the wrong action being taken, or the right action at the wrong time. Compassion and wisdom in having a symbiotic relationship enable us much more to take the right kind of action at the right time that will result in the best possible outcome for all concerned. This is the heart of Humanity Healing: a wisdom focused Spiritual Activism as an expression of heart-felt compassion for all those that suffer. I would urge all of you to sign the petition and our Pledge of Unity. you can find the link to our Care2 site listed in the sidebar of this blog.

If you are interested in any of our other videos that detail further our work in this area across a range of specific areas, then you can find them at YouTube. Just click the link in the sidebar.

Many blessings and much metta,

Steve, Chris and Humanity Healing.

What Makes a Master?

2007-10-10T03:58:00.000-04:00

It is my pleasure this time around to bring to you a short piece from the keyboard of Humanity Healing's Honorary Ambassador and good friend of mine; Lauren Zimmerman. Lauren reveals here something that I believe is critical to all of us if we are to make progress on our personal journey's back to wholeness and a state of conscious Divinity. What she has to say here cannot be overstated. We all need to refocus our minds and look in the right direction if we are to make changes to our inner and outer lives. Only in this way can we bring to permanence that state of harmony and connectivity to spirit to which we all aspire.

We at Humanity Healing are honoured to have Lauren on board and hope that you will find inspiration in her words.

What Makes a Master?

Given by The Presence of God

to Lauren Zimmerman

When one looks to see who has become a Master, do not look at the path that has been walked. Look at the heart it took to walk the path. The measure of a Master is not made by magic tricks and whims of the moment. To be a true Master is to become the Divine that you are. A true Master understands that everything external is not the Truth, that the Truth cannot be found outside of oneself. To become what your Soul is, in a world of deception, illusions, emotion, and lies, is to become a Master. If one wants to live the life of a Master, one becomes Master of one's life. The truth of life, the genuine truth of life, lives within each person. And so it is that when one masters oneself, one masters life. What that means is that, to become the Master that you seek to be, it becomes your mission to know yourself and heal yourself into the Truth of who you are, untainted by all things that lie outside yourself. A true Master responds to life not by becoming overwhelmed, or emotional, or angry, or distraught. Your true life, the life that will make you the Master that you truly are, lives within you. A true Master may be found living in a hovel, surrounded by agony and poverty. The measure of a Man's home is not the measure of a Master. The true Master is not the Man who lives upon a hill, overlooking the town where he owns buildings and people. The true Master has no need to own people, to overpower people. The true Master has no need to overpower circumstances. The true Master understands that all things that live outside of oneself are not the measure of the Master. His measure is not what he owns in the world but what he owns within himself. Masters have walked barefoot with bloody feet and hungry bellies. Masters have looked through bars at guards and guns and died on concrete floors. Masters have stood alone for years, seemingly without friends or riches. But these that I have seen and called Masters have been one thing. They have been true, always true, to the truth that lies within them. The truth that no Man, no prison, no friend, no mansion, can make them what they are not, and that is Master over themselves. Each person has the opportunity to become a Master, to become calm within oneself by accepting and living the truth that nothing outside of oneself has the power to make you something that you're not. And what are you? You are an aspect of God.

Many thanks Lauren!

Blessings and much metta to all,

Steve